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1882 
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATUS OF AMERICA. 



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VALUABLE BOOKS-FAITH SERIES. 

By H. L. HASTINGS. 

*^* These volames contain probably the fullest collection extant of remarkable 
Providences, Answers to Praj'er, etc., a large proportion of which are new, 
authentic, and very striking. 



THE GUIDING HAND ; or, Providential Direction of Chris- 
tians in times of Perplexity, illustrated by authentic instances, recorded and 
collected by H. L. Hastings. Crown 8vo., cloth, 3s. 6d. 1.25. 

" A book of interest and a book of value. Interesting, as God's special dealings 
must be to the devout, and usually are to ordinary persons. Valuable be- 
cause illustrating the Christian way of trial, prayer, faith, and triumph. — Chris- 
tian Harvester. 

*' Intensely interesting and inspiring to Faith." — Methodist Protestant. 

*' The incidents are told in a simple sincere style, without offensive parade or 
apologetic timidity." — Central Baptist. 

'•Acceptable and attractive." — British Friend. 

" The intelligent Christian may read it profitably. — Christian Standard. 

TALES OF TRUST : Authentic Accounts of the Providential 
Guidance, Assistance, and Deliverance of the people of the Lord. Written and 
selected by H. L. Hastings. Crown 8vo., cloth, 3s. 6d. 1-25. 

" An entertaining work, and helpful to believers."—^. 0. Christian Advocate. 

" A capital compilation, we heartily commend it." — Ambleside Herald. 

"An excellent volume to pick up at odd moments, and seize upon an incident 
in the life of some child of God, which beautifully illustrates the lovingkindness 
and faithfulness of God to all who implicitly put their trust in Him."— SL Louis 
Evangelist. 

" How many men and women in this trying life might be greatly helped by 
■catching up, in the midst of their care and toil, this volume ; for its pages are 
always saying, " Be of good courage; all things work together for good." — The 
Pacific. 

EBENEZEKS ; or, Records of Prevailing Prayer. A Volume 
of instances of wonderful answers to prayer. Written and selected by H. L. 
Hastings. Crown 8vo., cloth, 3s. 6d. ^ 1 25. 

" The volume before us cannot be read without exciting a very deep interest. 
It is packed full of thrilling personal experiences of tnswers to prayer. The 
Ijodk is every way worthy of careful examination." — Golden Rule. 

" We would recommend this work, replete with testimonies to God's faithful- 
ness, io all who have faith to believe that God hears and answers prayer." — 
Christian Repository. 

"For the ready-to-halt Christian this is a grand helper. A fitting gift for 
those of little faith ; in fact, for the mass of Christians." — E. C. P., in Messiah^s 
Herald. 

PEBBIiES FROM THE PATH OF A PILGRIM ; bein^ 

Personal Reminiscences of Answers to Prayers, and Providential Guidance 
and Interposition, in connection with Gospel Labour, Rescue Work and labors 
among the Freedmen of the Southern States of America after the close of the 
Civil War. By Mrs. H. L. Hastings; edited by H. L. Hastings. A book of deep 
and romantic interest. Crown Svo., cloth, 3s. 6d. 1.25. 

" A very interesting sketch of an earnest and struggling life, at once capti- 
vating and instructive." — Christian Standard. 

" These personal recollections, written in a style of natural pathos, will afi"ect 
«very true-hearted reader with the moral beauty of consecration to Christ." — 
The Rainbow. 



LONDON: S. BAGSTER & SONS, 15, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
BOSTON, MASS; H. L. HASTINGS, 47, CORNHILL. 



THE BIBLE TEIUIPHANT: 

TWELVE DOZEN 

SCEPTICAL AKGUMENTS EEFUTED. 

A KEPLY TO AN INFIDEL WOKK ENTITLED 

144 SELF-CONTRADICTIONS OF THE BIBLE. 

By Mrs.(H. V^REED. 

AUTHOR OP "earnest WORDS TO HONEST SCEPTIC?." 

KEVISElf WIl^H A PKEFACE, AND AN APPENDIX 

CONTAINING 

INFIDEL TESTIMONIES TO THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 
1 /- By H. L. HASTINGS. 

EDITOR OF "THE CHRISTIAN" 




BOSTON 
H. L. HASTINGS, 47, CORNHILL. 
LONDON: S. BAGSTER & SONS, 15, PATERNOSTER ROW. 



COPYRIGHT : H. L, HASTINGS. 

1882. 



PREFACE 



Some years since, a noted Spiritualistic publisher in America,, 
issued a pamphlet which professed to exhibit " One Imndred and 
forty -four Se^"- contradictions of the Bible." 

The arguments of infidels and the revelations of spiritual 
mediums had been so largely composed of " self-contradictions " 
and untruths, that the votaries of these unfaiths gladly welcomed 
any publication which aimed to show that the Bible was as false 
and as unreliable as the books which they had written, and the 
messages which they had received and promulgated. 

One sceptical journal commended the pamphlet as " showing at 
a glance the multitudinous self-contradictions of the Bible, which 
no ingenuity of interpretation can reconcile ;" and a writer in a 
leading Spiritualistic paper said : " The most studious reader of the 
Bible will be astonished and overwhelmed at every step, to find how 
numerous and point-blank are the contradictions, which fill the 
hitherto supposed God-given book." 

The pamphlet immediabely became a standard text-book among- 
sceptics, and was widely scattered ; doubtless unsettling the minds 
of some whose minds were never settled, and undermining the 
faith of others who never had any real faith to undermine. 

But the Bible has been overthrown, refuted, demolished and 
exploded so many times, and the process has required such frequent 
repetitions, that people hesitated about abandoning the old book at 
the bidding of an anonymous pamphleteer, and hence it did not 
greatly shake the faith of those who had any faith to be shaken. 

It was true that the author's method was novel; for after 
infidels had been vainly working for ages to destroy the Bible ; it 
was a brilliant conception to set the Bible at work to destroy 
itself ;— thus confessing that the untempered tools of scepticism 
had made no impression on it, and that the diamond could only be 
cut by its own dust. 

It may be remarked that Christians are under great obligations 
to sceptics for their numerous attacks on the Scriptures, which 
have ever called forth new and impregnable defences of the sacred 
books. From the days of Celsus and Porphyry to the present hour, 
every assault upon the Bible has been effectually repelled, the 



^ 



iV PREFACE. 

assailants have been defeated on every field of fair argument and 
honest in v-estigation, and the missiles which have been hurhd at 
the fortress of truth, lie heaped like bulwarks around its base. 

Overturning the Bible is like upsetting a cube of granite, or a 
cannon ball; — no matter hovv- often it is overturned, it is still 
right side up. and lives and spreads when its assailants are dead 
and forgotten. Hence this new array of second-hand objections to 
the Sacred Scriptures, might be expected to evoke new and effective 
arguments in their defence. 

Among the persons into whose hands this pamphlet of self- 
contradictions fell, was Mrs. H. V. Reed, who had spent some of 
her girlhood days in studying Hebrew and Greek, that she might 
read the scriptures in their original tongues, and who had in after 
years been an interested student of the Sacred Oracles. She saw at 
once the fallacy, the unfairness, the cunning craftiness and the 
downright dishonesty that marked this array of " Self-contradictions 
of the Bihle,^' and while infidel readers and editors were praising 
and endorsing the pamphlet, she sat down quietly to dissect it ; and 
the result is herewith submitted to the candid reader. 

The extensive and varied misinformation which characterises 
infidel writings, is well illustrated in the " Self -contradictions " 
which are cited in this volume. And the manifest unfairness 
which is so often exposed, gives us an intimation of what might 
be expected from fallen men, were the Bible flung aside, and the 
fear of God cast off. But the effective answers to the objections, 
show that the Bible has nothing to fear from the most rigid 
investigation, and the most searching and impartial scrutiny- 
It may be thought by some that a woman could not adventure 
herself into the arena of controversial strife. And surely any one 
who has entered the pleasant and well ordered home of the 
authoress of this book, can easily believe that no unwomanly love 
of disputation prompted the preparation of this work. But 
woman has much at stake. She owes her earthly comforts and 
her heavenly hopes to the revelation of God's will contained in the 
Bible. And if she would stand where Christianity has placed her, 
in light and blessing, and avoid the gulfs of darkness which 
heathenism, Mohammedanism, infidelity and spiritualism, inevitably 
consign her, she must cling to the word of God, and repel the 
assaults of its foes. 

The ninth chapter of the book of Judges mentions a cruel king 
who undertook to assault and set fire to a strong tower in the city 
of Thebez. He pressed too near for his own safety. Suddenly 



PREFACE. V 

something dropped ! " A certain woman cast a piece of a millstone 
upon Abimelecli's head, and all to brake his skull. Then he called 
hastily unto the young- man his armour-bearer, and said unto him, 
Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman 
slew him. And the young man thrust him through that he died." 

Perhaps when the author shall read this exhibition of the 
character of the pamphlet to which his modesty or his prudence 
forbade him to append his name, he may know how to sympathise 
with this ancient king. Surely if " A certain moman " had a heart 
to defend her own life and the lives of her friends, against the 
venueful assaults of a tyrant ; another woman may be excused for 
entering her protest against the assaults of those who attack all 
that has made woman's life tolerable, or her home and happiness 
secure. And when infidels and spiritualists thus try to set fire to 
woman's home and castle, " a piece of a millstone " seems quite in 
order. 

In commending the following pages to the notice of both 
believers and unbelievers, it is not needful that the writer endorse 
every idea or expression that they coatain. The book treats of 
varied themes, and touches upon topics concerning which good 
men are not agreed. Doubtless there may be isolated instances 
where arguments might be strengthened, or where other solutions 
of seeming difficulties might be preferred to those here offered. But 
the book, as a whole, can hardly fail to supply a want and receive 
a welcome. 

The very plan of the work excludes all idea of literary finish. 
The author has not been allowed to plan her own course, but simply 
to follow the course of another— a course which shows about as 
much straightforwardness as one would expect to find in the trail 
of the "crooked serpent" himself. Hence, elaboradon and polish 
must be dispensed witk, and the attention muse be steadily directed 
to the subject in hand. The work is rough work, and the book is 
but *' a piece of a millstone " which "a certain wonaa-i " contributes 
to the defence of her faith and her fireside, and as it drops, we 
suggest that sceptics do well to stand from under I 

In a companion volume from the same pen—" Earnest Words 
FOE Honest Sceptics " — the positive side of the argument is more 
fully exhibited, for the benefit of those who 3 eally desire to search 
the Scriptures and learn the way of truth and [ eace. May He who 
gaides the meek in judgment, lead us in the eternal path. 

April, 1882. . h. l. h. 



THE 



BIBLE TRIUMPHANT 



THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINES. 

1. God is Satisfied with His "Works.— And God saw every- 
thing that he had made, and behold it was very good. Gen. i. 31. 

God is Dissatisfied witli His Works. — And it repented the 
Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his 
heart. Gen. vi. 6. 

Here is the initial specimen of the so-called " Self- 
Contra dictions of the Bible." Gen. i. 31, and Gen. 
vi, 6, are the first passages arrayed against each 
other by modern scepticism. But we beheve every 
candid mind will see that they fail of antagonism. 
The first passage declares God's satisfaction with his 
work before it was tainted and marred by sin. He 
sm'veyed creation in its original purity and loveliness, 
" and behold it was very good ! " But does it foUow that 
because God was satisfied with his finger work in the 
morning of creation he must be equally satisfied with it 
after it has been cursed and blighted on account of 
human folly, and abused by sinners for about fifteen 
hundred years ? Certainly not. But the second text is 
the record of a period as long after creation as stated, 
when the earth was filled with wickedness and crime, 



8 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

and man stood in open defiance of God and his law. 
God, as one would expect, was not satisfied with this 
ruined and ahen world. But this does not prove con- 
tradiction : all that can be made out of a comparison of 
the two passages is, that at one period of the world's 
history, when it was new and taintless, and 
in harmony with himself, he was satisfied Tvith 
it ; but at another period, when it lay under the 
withering curse connected with sin, and mankind 
were up in arms against him, he was not well pleased 
■with it. It is not said he was satisfied and dissatisfied 
at the same time : so the charge of " self-contradic- 
tion " is not sustained. 

And so far as the Lord's repentmg because he made 
man is concerned, we would remark that repentance 
in the Bible means simply " turning from a thing ; " 
and agreeable to this definition, God, as a holy being, 
turned from man as a loathsome, unloveable creature, 
and as a just God he further turned from preserving 
him on the earth, and destroyed the sinners of the 
antidiluvians by a flood of water because of their sins. 
Such repentance God has shown at other periods and 
in the overthrow of nations for their transgressions, 
after first sustaining them until they filled up their 
cup of iniquity. So this leading efibrt is a failure, and 
the Scriptures are not contradictory. 

2. God DweUs in Chosen Temples. — And the Lord appeared 
to Solomon by niglit, and said unto him : I have heard thy prayer, 
and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice . . . For 
now liavc I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be 
there forever ; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there per- 
petually. 2 Chron. vu. 12, IG. 

God Dwells Not in Temples. — Howbeit the Most High 
dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Acts vii. 48. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. U 

There is not even an apparent incongruity here ; 
for 2 Chron. vii. 12, 16, does not teach that God 
dwelt personally in the temple at Jernsalera. It was 
not his place of residence. He chose the temple as 
the house in which he would have sacrifices offered. 
His name was there. His testimony was there. His 
mysterious glory hovered over the mercy seat of the 
ark hidden therein. His eyes and heart rested with 
peculiar pleasure upon that house. But God in person 
is not confined in temples made with hands ; neither 
can man build a palace suitable for liim. He 
dwelleth "in secret;" and he says, "Heaven is 
my throne." Will the infidel see how God may 
be by representation where he is not in person? 
a,nd if he sees this he will have to admit that God's 
name, and testimony y and glory ^ and mercy, may be in 
one place among men, and himself in another : and 
the imagined contradiction will be dispersed. 

3. God Dwells in Liglit. — Dwelling in light wliich no man 
-can approach unto. 1 Tim. vi. 16. 

God Dwells in Darkness. — The Lord said he would dwell in 
the thick darkness. I Kings, viii. 12. — He made darkness his secret 
place. Ps. xviii. 11. — Clouds and darkness are round about Mm. 
Ps. xcvii. 2. 

An examination of the opposed texts shows not 
the shghtest contradiction. Infidels must remember 
statements in the Bible are not always of universal 
application but are sometimes limited and relative. St. 
Paul says to Timothy, God dwells in light unapproach- 
able by mortals. God m his person, and in his holy 
heaven, is so glorious, is surrounded with such an efful- 
gence of intense life and brightness, that mortality 
cannot draw near him. This is what the first text 



10 THE BIBLE TIHUirPH.iNT. 

says. But when He comes to man he assumes wliat 
ever he chooses in which to enshrine the representa- 
tion of himself. So at the temple at Jerusalem, in 
ancient time, " The Lord said he would dwell [as- 
revealed to man] in the thick darkness," and filled 
the house built for him with a cloud in confirmation 
of his word. The second passage is highly figurative. 
and can only be interpreted in keeping with the rest- 
of the Psalm, as God's 2)'>'ovidential aspect toward his 
servant David, who spoke of him as he seemed to 
him in his temporary distress. The last passage 
represents God in Ids judgments. So that all that the 
three texts supposed to be opposite teach is that God 
by proxy was (1) in secret, i.e., in the hoHest, whicK 
was a hidden compartment of the temple, visibly 
represented by a cloud. (2) That to Da\dd's feehngs 
when in trouble he " made darkness his pavilion. " 
(3) That in judgments he is as it were in darkness of 
wrath. Jehovah was a fii-e-cloud to his people Israel 
as he led them on — ^he dwelt in hght. But to the Eg}^- 
tians, following his people, on whom he had deter- 
mined wrath, he was a pillar of cloud — " He madfr 
darkness his secret place." We trust this solution of 
the difficulty will be as satisfactory as it is simple. 

4. God is Seen and Heard. — I "will take avray my hand and 
thou shalt see my back parts. Ex. xxxiii. 23.-AncIthe Lord spake unto 
Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. Ex. xxxiii. 11.- 
And the Lord called unto Adam, and said imto liim. Where art thou? 
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid^ 
Gren. iii. 9, 10. — For I have seen God face to face, and my life is pre- 
served. Gen. xxxii. 30. — In the year that King Uzziah died, I sa-w 
also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. Isa. vi. 1. 
— Then went up Moses and Aaron, Kadab and Abihu, and seventy of 
the elders of IsraeL . . . They saw God, and did eat and drink. Ex, 
xxiv. 9, 11. 



THE BIBLE TRroMPHANT. 11 

CFod is Invisible, and Cannot be Heard. — No man hath seen 
God at any time. John i. 18. — Ye have neither heard his voice 
at any time, nor seen his shape. John v. 37. — And he said, Thou 
canst not see my face : for there shall no man see me and live. Ex. 
xxxiii. 20. — Whom no man hath seen, nor can see. 1 Tim. vi. 16. 

If tlie words " Lord " and "God" in the passages 
above can be proved to refer directly to the person of 
the Eternal Father, we frankly admit that the infidel 
has made out at least a part of his case ; and that, if 
no more, there is one self-contradiction in the Bible. 
But if we can show, as we beheve we can, that the 
texts from the Old Testament relate to the angel of 
God, and not to God himself, designating him by the 
name of the Deity, because of his close connection 
with him as the direct agent of his purposes and 
pleasure, we shall sustain the harmony of the Book, 
and nullify the charge of variance laid against it by 
the sceptic. We shall therefore present testimony 
to prove that " the Lord," seen and talked ivith " face 
to face," was not the Eternal himself, but a minis- 
ter of his, his angel, the messenger of his will. But 
the question will aforehand arise: "Why call the 
angel of God the Lord 1 " The answer is in Ex. 
xxiii. 20, 21 : " Behold I send an angel before thee, 
beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not : 
for he will not pardon your transgressions ; for wy 
name is in Jiimr From this quotation, we learn that 
the angel of God bears his name. Hence " the 
Lord " that went before Israel, and was seen in the 
bush by Moses, and that Moses talked with face to 
face " on Mount Sinai, was the angel, sent forth from 
the presence of Jehovah. In proof of this we refer our 
readers to Acts vii. 35, 38 : " This Moses whom they 
refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge! 



12 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHA^T. 

the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer 
by the hand of the angel, which appeared to him in 
the bush. . . This is he that was in the chm-ch 
in the wilderness with the angel which spake [face 
to face] to him in the Mount Sina, and ^vith our fathers, 
who received the hvely oracles to give unto us." 
From this it is clear, that " the Lord " seen by Moses 
and the elders of Israel was the angel of Jehovah; 
and the same is true of " the Lord " seen face to face, 
by Jacob (Gen. xxxii. 30), as the reader -^tU learn 
by reading Hosea ii. 14: "Yea, he [Jacob] had 
power over the angel and prevailed." Here, the Lord 
that ^vrestled with Jacob is called by Hosea " the 
angel,'"' and by turning back to Gen. xxxii. 1, 2, it 
wiUbe seen that angels appeared to Jacob just before 
he beheld God face to face : "And he went on his 
way, and the angels of God met him : and when Jacob 
saw them he said, This is God's host," etc. From 
the foregoing quotations we eliminate the following 
facts : — 

God put his 7ia?7ie in the angel that he sent to do his 
^vilL and the angel performed his mission in the name 
of him who sent him. 

The appeaj-ances of " the Lord," as recorded in the 
Old Testament, are the appearances of the angel or 
angelsof his presence, who appeared visibly and talked 
with men. Hence all the supposed discrepancy of testi- 
mony on this point is ob^^iated. The Xew Testament 
affiiTns that God (Greek: Theos) has never been 
seen by man, Avhich we beHeve to be true ; and the 
fact of visible appearances of angels to ]\Ioses and 
the fathers does not oppose this gi*eat tnith, nor 
make the Bible contradict itself. 



THE BIBLE TRroMPHANT. IS 

There is anotlier point wKich should be noticed 
before we dismiss this proposition. In Ex. xxxiii. 11, 
it is stated that the Lord talked "face to face " with 
Moses, and in v. 20, the same angel says to him, 
"Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no- 
man see me and Hve." But this is explained by the 
context. Wlien the angel talked with Moses face to 
face he did not appear in his glory, for after this 
Moses entreats him, saying, " I beseech thee, show 
me thy glory " (v. 18). Then the angel, in whom 
dwelt the name of the Lord, assures him that he will 
cause all his goodness to pass before him, and that he 
will proclaim the name of the Lord ; and further in- 
forms him that he will place him in the cleft of the 
rock and cause his glory to pass by ; but " my face," 
says the angel, " shall not be seen." Hence Moses- 
CO aid have a diminished view of his glory, but could 
not stand the full blaze of it. The solution, therefore, 
is apparent — ^the angel could not allow a mortal to 
see his face in the full spendour of his glory. This- 
contextual qualification will, we think, satisfy every 
candid mind, stay the infidel's cavil, and harmonise 
T\dth the whole tenour of the chapter. The angel 
could be seen and talked with as God's messenger, 
while disrobed of his glorious brightness ; but when 
clad in the full splendours of heaven mortals could 
not behold him and hve. How much less can they 
see God, the source of all angelic brightness and 
celestial resplendence, and survive the revelation. 
Hence the sceptic fails again to point out a discord 
in the harmony of revelation. There are minor 
points in this proposition of the same character as- 
those noticed, consequently we let them pass. 



14 THE BIBLE^ TRIUMPHANT. 

5. God is Tired, and Rests. — For in six days the Lord made 
heaven and earth ; and on the seventh day he rested, and was 
refreshed. Ex. xxxi. 17. — I am weary -with repenting. * Jer. xv. 6. 

God is Never Tired, and Never Rests. — Hast thou not 
heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of 
the earth, f ainteth not, neither is weary. Isa. xl. 28. 

The first of the above passages of Scripture says, 
after God had made the heavens and the earth, in- 
cluding the fulness thereof, he rested^ and was refreshed. 
The inference the infidel would have us draw hence 
is that God was physically exhausted and needed rest 
for recuperation, and in fact, resting, was refreshed. 
But the Hebrew does not contain this idea. The 
Douay Bible translates it correctly as follows : "For 
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth ; and in 
the seventh day he ceased from his work." He ceased 
because he had done ; not because he was wearied 
and unable to continue creating. Jer. xv. 6, '• I am 
weary with repenting," does not express faintness in 
God; but pungent regret that, on account of the 
many sins of his people, he had to turn so often frora 
doing them good to chastisement, according to his 
declared principles of dealing with them. He would 
have them walk always uprightly before him, then 
he would not need to be constantly putting them 
away in anger, and receiving them again to favour 
on their repentance. 

The one text supposed to be opposite speaks of 
the eternal strength of God, never rising or ebbing, 
by which he is able to fulfil his exceeding great and 
precious promises to his people, and execute his 
threatenings on the finally impenitent. Surely there 
is no opposition between these passages. God is strong 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 15 

And never tires. But having finished all worlds he 
ceased, without feeling that it had been a tiresome 
exertion to him. He is weary, although his long- 
suifering is so matchless, of bearing with the folHes 
^nd affronts of sinners — especially with the insults of ^ 
such sinners as the compiler of the " 144 Contradic- 
tions of the Bible." 

6. God is Everywhere Present, and Sees and Knows all 

Things. — The eyes of the Lord are in every place. Prov. xv. 3. — 
Whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into heaven, 
thou art there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If 
I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of 
the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand hold 
me. Ps. cxxxiv. 7-10. — There is no darkness nor shadow of death, 
where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. For his eyes are 
upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. Job xxxiv. 22, 21. 

God is Not Everywhere Present, Neither Sees nor Knows 
all Things. — And the Lord came doicn to see the city and the tower. 
Gen. xi. 5. — And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Go- 
xnorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will f/o down 
now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry 
of it, which is come unto me ; and if not, I will know. Gen. xviii, 20, 21. 
— And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the 
Xord God amongst the trees of the garden. Gen. iii. 8. 

The Omniscience of God is a plain doctrine of 
Bevelation, and to suppose otherwise is to undeify him, 
^nd rob him of his divinity. The sceptic, however, 
claims that the Bible is inharmonious on this point, 
inasmuch as it is said to teach that God is not allwise, 
and for proof we are referred to Gen. xi. o, Gen. xviii. 
20, 21, Gen. iii. 8, the most important of which we will 
examine. Gen. xviii. 20, 21, may be considered the 
most woi-thy of notice. The Lord here spoken of as 
coming down to see if the cities were as sinful as was 
reported, etc., has reference to the ANGELS, who came 



16 THE BIBLE TRrCDIPBL\:N'T. 

down from heaven to inflict judgment upon these- 
wicked cities, provided that a certain number of 
righteous men could not be found therein. This posi- 
tion will appear plain by examining the context, and 
"will, Ave trust, remove the obscurity. In Gen. xviii. 1,. 
it is stated that "the Lord appeared" unto Abraham, 
the second verse says, Abraham saw " three men," 
and in the tlnrd verse he addi'esses them as "my 
Lord." Two of these angels journey towards Sodom 
while one remains, and with him Abraham pleads for 
the saving of the city. The two angels appear in 
Sodom at even (Gen. xix. 1), and Lot addresses them 
as " my lords" (v. 2) ; and in verse 13 they make 
known to Lot their mission in these words, " For we 
will destroy this place, because the cry of them i& 
waxen great before the face of the Lord, and the 
Lord hath sent us to destroy it." See also verses 15 
and 16. Hence the Lord here spoken of had direct 
reference to the angels of God, who came down from 
heaven to execute the judgment of Jehovah. 

7. God Bjiows the Hearts of Men. — Tliou, Lord, vrhich know- 
est the hearts of all men. Acts i. 24. — Thou knowest mj downsitting 
and mine uprising ; thou \mderstandest my thought afar off. Thou 
compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all 
my ways. Ps. cxxxix. 2, 3. 

God Tries Men to Find Out wliat is in their Hearts.— The 
Lord your God proreth you, to hioic whether ye love the Lord your 
God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deut. xiii. 3. — The 
Lord thy God' led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble 
thee and to prore thee, to knoic what was in thine heart. Deut. viii. 2. 
For now I hnovo that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld 
thy son, thino only son, from me. Gen. xxii. 12. 

This arrangement does not indicate a contradiction, 
neither has the infidel compiler so stated it as to make 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 17 

it appear incongruous. For God may knoio the hearts 
of all men, which is the truth, and he may wish to 
try them, not indeed to satisfy himself but to malie 
examples of his people, in order to prove to the world 
the certainty of truth, and to show his faithfulness in 
all his promises ; we shall therefore dismiss this with- 
out further notice. 



8. God is All-Powerful. — Behold, I am the Lord, the God of 
all flesh; i3 there anything too hard forme? Jer. xxxii. 27.— With 
God all things are possible. Matt. xix.. 26. 

God is Not AU-Powerful. — And the Lord was -with Judah ; 
and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain ; but could not drive 
end the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. — 
Judg. i. 19. 

That God is Omnipotent, we most heartily believe, 
and that he is able to fulfil all he has spoken, we 
claim to be the basis of all tnie faith. But the sceptic 
brings forward Judg. i. 19, to prove that God was 
so deficient of power that he could not drive out 
the inhabitants of the valley, because they had 
" iron chariots ; " but a grammatical examiaation of 
the text will show that the antecedent of the pronoun 
" he'' is not Jehovah but Judalu It does not follow 
that because the Lord assisted Judah under many 
circumstances, that therefore he would be with Judah 
in all his undertakings. It was therefore Judah^ not 
.Jehovah, who could not drive them out of the valley 
in consequence of their iron chariots. The Douay 
Bible translates it much plainer than King James' 
version. It gives it as foUows : " And the Lord was 
with Judah, and he [Judah] possessed the hill country, 
but was not able to destroy the inhabitants of the 

[2] 



18 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHAXT. 

valley, because they had many chariots armed with 
scythes." 

The above j'.eaves no room for doubt that the same 
one who possessed the hill country .^^Sl'^ the one who 
failed to obtain the valley, and it is clear that this 
was Judah. 



9. God is UncliaiigealDle. — With whom is no variableness, nei- 
ther shadow of turning. Jam i. 17. — For I am the Lord; I change 
not. Mai. iii. 6. — I, the Lord, have spoken it ; it shall come to pass, 
and I will do it. I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will 
I repent. Ezek. xxiv. 14. — God is not a man, that he should he ; nei- 
ther the son of man, that he should repent. Num. xxiii. 19. 

God is Changeable. — And it repented the Lord that he had made 
man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Gen. vi. 6. — And God 
repented of the eA-il that he had said that he would do unto them, and 
he did it not. Jonah iii. 10. — "^Vherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, 
I said, indeed, that thy house, and the house of thy father, should 
walk before me for ever ; but now the Lord saith. Be it far from me 

Behold, the days come that I will cut off thine arm. and the arm 

of thy fathers house. 1 Sam. ii. 30, 31. — In those days was Hezekiah 
sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, came 
to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thiuL' house in 

order ; for thou shalt die, and not live Audit came to pass, afore 

Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of tlie Lord 
came to him, saying, Turn again, and teU Hezekiah, the captain of 

iny people, Thus saith the Lord I have heard thy prayer :.. 

i.;nd I Avill add to thy days fifteen years.' 2 Kings xx. 1, -i-G. — And 
tlic Lord said unto Moses, Depart and go up lience^ thou and the 

people For I will not go up in the midst of thee And the Lord 

said, I -^nll do this thing, also, that thou hast spoken My i)ii8sence 

aha/ 1 go with thee, and I will give thee rest. Ex. xxxiii. 1, 3, 17, 14. 

God's gifts are always good; and in him, as a 
giver of good, there is no " variableness." He can 
never bestow anything evil. That is what James 
says. In Malachi is contained a prophecy unfolding 
what God would do to Israel. His principle of 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 19 

dealing with that nation is there recorded — judg- 
ment for sin, but return to them in mercy when they 
returned to him in penitence. Agreeable to these 
equitable principles of jurisprudence, God says : 
" For I am the Lord, 1 change not." The meaning 
evidently is these are his unalterable principles of rule 
over them. According to these principles he utters the 
language of Ezekiel as above, concerning the deter- 
mined destruction of Jerusalem for its sin ; and history 
has proved God true. The quotation from Numbers is 
of the same bearing. God has indeed made a covenant 
of blessing with his people and given them great 
and precious promises, and " God is not man that he 
Bhould he, or the son of man that he should repent," 
or turn from fulfilling those promisee, which are all 
yea, and amen, in Christ Jesus. 

The other part of the proposition says, the Lord 
in the time of Noah repented, i.e. turned from man that 
lie had placed on the earth. It grieved his righteous 
heart to behold such wickedness as the siimer daily 
practised. So mercy stepped aside for judgment to 
act. What if God did repent of the evil that he 
threatened the Ninevites -with ? Does this prove him 
to have altered his mind ? No ; for he had declared 
by the mouth of Jeremiah that, " If that nation 
against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil, 
I will repent of \i.e. turn from] the evil that I thought 
to do unto them," (Jer. xviii. 8.) — a passage in perfect 
agreement with all the Scripture and God's dealings 
with men. And this w^as fulfilled when the people of 
Nineveh turned from their sins; for God then re- 
pented of the evil he had pronounced against them, 
and (lid it not. In the case of Eh the same well- 



20 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

imderstood principle is observed by God. In the- 
account of Hezekiahwe read God had mercy upon him ; 
thus he Hved. God intended he should die ; but in 
his intention left scope for fervent supplication, which 
Hezekiah used, and which became effectual to the 
prolonging of his life. With perverse Israel the 
Lord would not go up, for their sakes; but for the 
sake of Moses, the mediator, he would go with them. 
Thus, while in some things he cannot be turned and wiU 
not turn, yet in others he is well-known to have con- 
ditioned favour upon repentance, and promised 
blessing for the asking. In some things therefore, 
God changes according to pre-declared intention; 
yet from righteous principle God never swerves. 
And the Bible is still a unit. 

10. God is Just and Impartial. — The Lord is upright, 

and there is no unrighteousness in him. Ps. xcii. 15. — Shall not the- 
Judge of all the earth do right ? Gen. xviii. 25. — A God of truths 
and without iniquity, just and right is he. Deut. xxxii. 4. — There is- 
no respect of persons with God. Rom. ii. 11. — Ye say, The way of the 
Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel ; is not my way 
equal ? Ezek. xyiii. 25. 

God is Unjust and Partial. — Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of 
servants shall he be unto his brethren. Gen. ix. 25. — For I, the Lord 
thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children unto the tliird and fourth generation. Ex. xx. 5. — For 
the children being not yet born, neither Imving done any good or evil, 
that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, ......it 

was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, 
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Rom. ix. 11-13. — For 
whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abun- 
dance ; but whosoever hath not, from him shall bo taken away even 
\hat he hath. Matt. xiii. 12 . 

It is true that God is tjpright and holy ; and that he 
is just and. righteous. It is also true that with him 
*' there is no respect of person." But he has respect 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. , 21 

for character and goodness. As to the curse which fell 
upon Canaan, it was a prophecy of the woe which 
would follow the sinful conduct of the Canaanites as 
a nation, for the curse never fell on Canaan personally. 
This prophecy did not C7^eafe the servitude of the 
nation, but simply foretold what would come to pass 
in the future: and it was hterally fulfilled. Ex. xx. 5 
shows that God is jealous for the welfare of his people, 
and also that fathers and children who practise ini- 
qidti/, vnR aHke meet with judgments from the hand 
of God. The text does not teach that the fathers do 
all the sinning and escape judgment, while the 
children do NOT ein and still receive the punishment 
due their fathers. The teaching of the text is, that 
fathers and children would all be punished for prac- 
tising iniquity. The reference to Jacob and Esau is 
purely national, meaning the two peoples, or their des- 
cendants — one doing the will of God, and the other 
disobeying his word. In proof that the reference is 
national, and not individual, please read Gen. xxv. 
22, 23. 

So the difficulty is explained, and the Bible is still 
triumphant. 

11. God is tlie Author of Evil. — Out of the mouth of the 
Most High proceedeth not evil and good. Lam. iii. 38. — Thus saith 
the Lord, Behold I frame evil against you and devise a device against 
3'ou. Jer. xviii. 11. — I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all 
these things. Isa. xlv. 7. — Shall there be evil in a city, and the 
Lord hath not done it ? Amos iii. 6. — Wherefore I gave them also 
statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not 
iive. Ezek. xx. 25. 

God is Not the Author of Evil.— God is not the author of 
confusion. 1 Cor. xiv. 33. — A God of truth and without iniquity, 
just and right is he. Dent, xxxii. 4. — For God cannot be tempted with 
:fivil, neither tempteth he any man. Jas. i. 13. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 22 

The word evil has two meanings in the Bible. It 
means punishment, and also sin. ^Vhen it says that 
God creates evil, it merely conveys the idea that he 
executes judgments. ^^Tien it states that man does 
evil, it is a record of his sins against God. This will 
be plainly seen by reading 1 Kings xvi. 2b, 30. Job ii. 
10 ; Isa. xlv. 7. — (See Cruden.) 

We conclude on this point, therefore, that though 
God inflicts evil upon the -svicked for their sins, still 
the Judge of all the earth will do right. 

12. God Gives Freely to those who Ask. — If any of you 

lack msdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally aud up- 
braideth not, and it shall be given him. James i. 5. — For every one 
that asketh receive th ; and he that seeketh findeth. Luke xi. 10. 

God "Withholds His Blessings and Prevents Men from 
Heceiving Them. — He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their 
hearts ; that they should not see vrith their eyes, nor understand with 
their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. John xii. 40. 
— ^For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come 
against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that 
they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them. Josh. 
xi. 20. — Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways and 
hardened OUT h.QSiTt'i Isa. Ixiii. 17. 

That God gives freely to those who ask of him, is 
■true, providing they do not " ask amiss ; " then they 
receive not. 

The infidel T\dshes to make it appear, in opposition 
to the above position, that God intentionally blinded 
the eyes of the Jewish nation, lest they should em- 
brace Christ, and refers to John xii. 40 as proof. 
Tliis however fails him, for it does not happen to be 
a decree that the Jews must reject Christ, but a pro- 
phecy of Isaiah's showing that they icould reject him. 
Hence the passage is altogether misapphed. See 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 23 

Matt. xiii. 14. And, further, it is not God the Father 
who is spoken of in this verse, but " the god of this 
world," the same who in every case of the reprobate 
*' hath bhnded the minds of them that beheve not." 
(2 Cor. iv. 4.) 

The reference in Josh. xi. 20 is to those wicked 
nations that fought against Israel, and the Lord over- 
threw them for their hatred to his cause and to his 
people. Isa. Ixiii. 17, and its connection, shows that 
Israel had forsaken God, and when they pleaded for 
forgiveness he returned to them in the plenitude of 
his mercy. These texts therefore, cannot be forced 
to antagonize other parts of God's word. 

13. God is to be Found by those who Seek Him. — Every 
one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth. Matt. vii. 8. 
— Those that seek me early shall find me. Prov. viii. 17. 

God is Not to be Found by those who Seek Him. — Then 
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; they shall seek me early, 
but they shall not find me. Prov. i. 28. 

Matt. vii. 8, and Prov. viii. 17, refer to the period 
of offered mercy. Whereas Prov. i. 28 refers to the 
time after mercy ceases to be offered, and judgment 
is about to be executed. This will be seen by reading 
the verses preceding and following : " When your 
fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction 
Cometh as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish 
cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me, but 
I will not answer ; they shall seek me early, but they 
shall not find me : for that they hated knowledge, and 
did not choose the fear of the Lord." Prov. i. 27-29. 
The connection cited above relieves the text from 
all obscurity, and takes the objection from the over- 
anxious infidel. 



24 THE BIBLE TRmMPHAXT. 

14. Grod is Warlike. — The Lord is a man of war. Ex. xv. 3. 
— The Lord of Hosts is Ms name. Isa. li. 15. 

God is Peaceful.— The God of peace. Rom. xv. 33. — God is not 
ihe author of confusion but of peace. 1 Cor. xiv^ 33. 

The Lord is a man of war to all bis enemies, and a 
God of 2^^'<^G<^ to all who obey him. He is a God of 
■ioratli to his foes, and oi goodness to his children. Were 
it not that the sceptic was determined to find just 
''- 144 Contradictions of the Bible," he would never 
have inserted the above. 

15. God is Cruel, XTninerciful, Destructive and Ferocious. 

— I will not pity ^ nor qmre, nor have mercy, but destroy. Jer. xiii. 14. — 
And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall 
deUver thee ; thine eye shall have no pity upon them. Deut. vii. 16. 
— Xow go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have^ 
and spare them not ; but slay both man and woman, infant and suck- 
ling. 1 Sam. XV. 3, — Because they had looked into the ark of the 
Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and three score and 
ten men. 1 Sam. y\. 19. — The Lord thy God is a consuming fire. 
Deut. iv. 24. 

God is Kind, Merciful and Good. — The Lord is very pitiful, 
and of tender viercy. Jam. v. 11. — For he doth not afflict wiUiogly^ 
nor grieve the children of men. Lam. iiL 33, — For his mercy endureth 
for ever. 1 Chron. xvi. 34. — I have no pleasure in the death of him 
that dieth, saith the Lord God. Ezek. xviii. 32. — The Lord is good to 
cdL and his tender mercies are orver all his works. Ps. cxlv. 9.— Who 
will have all men to be saved, and to come imto the knowledge of the 
truth. 1 Tim, ii. 4. — God is love. 1 John iv, 16. — Good and upright 
is the Lord. Ps. xxv. 8. 

It has ever been the boast of Infidel writers, that 
the God of the Bible is crael and unmerciful, and the 
texts brought forth in the first part of the above pro- 
position are ever quoted to sustain this idea. If the 
reader will take the trouble to examine the passages 
referred to, in their connections, he will see that they 
all aUude to the judgments of God falling upon 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 25 

wicked nations, for their sins against him. In Jer. 
xiii. 14 God threatens to destroy the nation of Israel 
from the land, because they had sinned with a high 
hand, and trampled on his holy law ; but before the 
threatened judgment was executed, he offered them 
pardon and forgiveness if they would turn unto him 
and cease to pervert his ways. Hence this text is 
purely oieb judicial character, and cannot be made to 
sustain the sceptic's attack. Deut. vii. 16, alludes to 
those nations that were vindictive enemies to God's 
people, and he commanded Israel to destroy them. 
This also was a judgment visited upon the sinful, and 
therefore founded in justice. The same is true of 
1 Sam. XV. 2 : Amalek had done much evil to the people 
of Israel when they were in the wilderness, kilhng 
those who were fatigued and weary and who Hngered 
b)ehind in the march. And for these acts of hostility 
God had decreed the overthrow of the Amalekites. 
Now the time came for its execution. " But why," it 
will be asked, " did God decree the destruction of 
women and helpless infants ? " We answer, it was a 
judgment upon a nation^ and as such it feU upon alL 
It was so in the days of the flood ; and so of Sodom and 
Gomorrah. Indeed, the infidel who blames the *'God 
of the Bible " and boasts of his " God of Nature," is in 
a worse difficulty than we ; for his God buries millions 
hj earthquakes and volcanoes, many of whom are 
innocent women and helpless babes. His acts have 
not even the appearance of being deserved judg- 
ments for sin, and they come without warning or 
mercy upon the innocent and helpless. " But," says 
the infidel, " they transgressed a physical law, and 
must suffer its penalty." So we say of those nations. 



26 THE BIBLE TRIUilPHAXT. 

They transgressed a moral law, and they suffered its 
penalty. The infidel sees no cnieltv in his " God of 
Nature " visiting families by disease, by famine and 
pestilence, taking all the httle ones from affectionate 
parents : he sees no injustice in his " God of Nature," 
in executing the penalty of violated law. Yet if the 
God of the Bible inflicts a judgment upon a nation of 
sinners he is frightened, and exclaims, Cruel! un- 
mercifuV. ! ferocious I I ! Reader, be not deceived. 
It is done to lead you from the God of truth who 
does aU things in righteousness, and for the best — for 
the good of man, and for his own glory. 

16. God's Anger is Fierce and Endures Long. — And 
the Lord'3 anger was kiadled against Israel, and he made them -wander 
in the "vdldemess forti/ years, irntH all the generation that had done 
evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed. Num. xxxii, 13. — And 
the Lord said unto Moses, Take aU the heads of the people and 
hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce 
anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. Num. xx. 4. — 
For I have kindled a fire in my anger, which shall bum for ever. 
Jer. xvii. 4. 

God's Anger is Slow and Endures but for a Moment. 
— The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous 
in mercy. Ps. ciii. 8. — ^His anger endureth hut a moment. Ps. xxx. 5. 

Num. xxxii. 13 is cited, to convey the idea that 
the Lord's anger against Israel continued for forty 
years. But the words of the text only imply that 
they were made to wander in the wilderness forty 
years, because of their sins against Jehovah. It 
marks the duration of the punishment, instead of 
God's anger. He was angry with them for their sins, 
and pronounced upon their guilty heads the decree 
of punishment ; but no rational man would therefore 
conclude that God's anger lasted until his decree was 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 2T 

fulfilled. Num. xxv. 4 simply speaks of tlie " fierce- 
anger " of Jehovah, without reference to its duration. 
There is surely no inconsistency here. God is '*' slow- 
to anger, and plenteous in mercy," but when his wrath 
is kindled by man's rebeUion it may be "fierce," 
although it " endureth but a moment." Jer. xvii. 4- 
is a MIS-QUOTATION. The Bible reads : " For ye have 
kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever." 
Even our infidel compiler must admit that this cor- 
rection makes a " material " change in the idea. He 
must either be very careless, or very dishonest, who- 
conveys the idea that it was GoD who kindled the fii-e. 
Our correction removes all obscurity from the text,, 
for no grammarian can for a moment suppose that it 
is God's anger which is to burn for ever, when the 
word so plainly states that it is the fire which Judah: 
had kindled. 

17. God Commands, Approves of, and Delights in 
Burnt Offerings, Sacrifices, and Holy Days. — Thou shalt offer 
every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement. Ex. xxix. 36. — 
On the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of 
atonement : it shall be a holy convocation unto you ; and ye shall 
afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire tmto the Lord. 
Lev. xxiii. 27. — And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar ;. 

it is a sweet savojcr] an offering made by fire unto the Lord 

Ex. xxix. 18. — ^And the priest shall burn it all on the altar, to be a 
burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto thfr 
Lord. Lev. 1. 9. 

God Disapproves of, and has No Pleasure in them. — For I 
spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I 
brought them out of the land of Egj-pt concerning burnt offerings 
or sacrifices. Jer. >'ii. 22. — Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, 
nor your sacrifices sweet irnto me. Jer. vi. 20. — Will I eat the flesh 
of bulls, or drink the blood of goats ? Offer unto God thanksgiving ; 
and pay thy vows unto the Most High. Ps. 1. 13, 14. — Bring no* 
more vain oblations ; incense is an abomination unto^ me : the ne"W 



•28 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot, away with • 

it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting To what purpose is the 

multitude of your sacrifices unto me ? saith the Lord : I am full of the 
burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts ; and I delight not 
in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come 
to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand ? Isa. i. 
13, 11, 12. 

Under the dispensation of the law, God commanded 
;and approved of sacrifices and burnt offeiings. But 
there was a time when the Jews depended alone upon 
l)urnt offerings to find favour with God, while they 
neglected and even despised his other requirements. 
Hence in Jer. "sdi. 22, we find a strong idiom of the 
original Hebrew which does not show that God holds 
sacrifices in contempt, but that there are other tilings 
which he appreciates more highly. The true ellipsis of 
>the text expressed in our tongue is the following : 
" For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded 
1;hem [alone~\ . . . concerning burnt ofi'eiings and sacri- 
£ces." This idea is fully explained by the following 
-v^erse : " But this thing commanded I them, saying, 
Obey my voice [in all things, not merely in relation 
to burnt offerings] and I vnll be your God, and ye 
sliall be my people ; and walk ye in ALL the ways 
that I have commanded that it may be well unto 
vou." See 1 Sam. xv. 22, " Behold to ohe^/ is better 
than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.'' 

Ps. 1. 13, 14 expresses the same idea, viz : — That 
thanksgiving and the fulfilment of their vows were 
more acceptable to the Lord of hosts than even the 
burnt offerings of the Mosaic dispensation. Jer. vi. 20, 
Slid Isa. i. 13, 11, 12, are fully explained by the 
•context. It is the refusal of Jehovah to accept ofier- 
ings from those w^ho had rebelled and gone far from 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 29" 

his commands. These are the declarations of the 
Most High, that sacrifices are not acceptable from. 
those who continually work iniquity. Had the sceptic 
read the whole of the two chapters he has here quoted 
from, he could not honestly have cited these texts as- 
contradictions of God's law. 

18. God Accepts Human Sacrifices.— The king [David] took- 

the two sons of Kizpah and the five sons of Michal and- 

he deUvered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they 

hanged them in the hill before the Lord. And after that God was- 

entreated for the land. 2 Sam. xxi. 8, 9, 14. — And he [God] said,- 
Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get 
thee into the land of Moriah ; and offer liim there for a burnt offering. 
Gen. xxii. 2. — And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said. 
If thou shalt without fail dehrer the children of Ammon into mine 
hands, then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of 
my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of 
Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a bumit 
offering. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon ta- 

fight against them ; and the Lord dehvered them into his hands 

And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his 

daughter came out to meet him And he sent her away for 

two months and she went with her companions and bewailed her 
virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of 
two months that she returned unto her father, who did with her 
according to his xyow which he had vowed. Judges xi. 30, 31, 32, 
34, 38, 39. 

God Forbids Human Sacrifice. — Take heed to thyself that 

thou be not snared by following them [the Gentile nations], 

for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done 
unto their gods ; for even their sons and their daughters they have 
Immt in the fire to their gods. Deut. xii. 30, 31. 

The enemy of the Bible can produce no evidence- 
that the act of David recorded in 2 Sam. xxi. (and 
which the context greatly mitigates), or the rashness- 
of Jephthah, was acceptable to God. Why does he- 
assume that which he must know he cannot prove t 



450 THE BIBLE TRimiPHAXT. 

That he should quote Gen. xxii. 2 to sustain his pro- 
position betrays more weakness than we expected to 
find — even in the ranks of scepticism. Has he never 
read the touching history of Abraham and Isaac? 
or does he suppose his readers to be ignorant of the 
patriarch's trial, and the gloiious triumph of his faith 
•on the sacred brow of Mount Moriah ? It is a golden 
record of the love of that God who pitieth them that 
-fear him " as a father pitieth liis children." Tiailj, the 
God of Heaven " forbids human sacrifice." 

19. God Tempts Men. — And it came to pass after these things, 
Kjod did tempt Abraham. Gen. xxii : 1. — And the anger of the Lord 
was kindled against Israel, and he mored David against them to say, 
•Gro, nimiber Israel and Judah. 2 Sam. xxiv. 1. — O Lord, thou hast 
deceived [marginal reading : enticed] me, and I was deceived [enticed]. 
JTer. XX. 7. — ^Lead us not into temptation. Matt. tI. 13. 

God Tempts No Man. — ^Let no man say when he is tempted, 
J am tempted of God ; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither 
Xempieth he any man. James i. 13. 

In Gen. xxii. 1, it declares that " God did tempt 
Abraham." It is the preface to the history of God's 
trial of his faithful servant, and the word which is 
translated tempt is the Hebrew word Nah-sahy and 
the literal rendering of it is, " to ti-y, to prove any 
one; to put him to the test," (see Gesenius Hebrew 
Lexicon, page 676.) Hence God TESTED Abraham, 
and the patriarch's faith was proved to be as blight 
as molten gold. The fiery trial only served to purify 
and strengthen his faith in the living God, and the 
record still bmiis upon the sacred page in all its ancient 
beauty — a glorious example for God's childi-en in aU 
ages. 

The next text under consideration is 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, 



THE BIBLE TRIIDIPHAXT. 31 

and this is GROSSLY MISREPRESENTED. The Bible reads, 
" And he {Satan, see margin) moved David : " so it 
was Satan, and not Jehovah, that moved David to 
number Israel. Cannot the sceptic see the difference ? 
The word rendered "deceived" or "enticed " in Jer. 
'Kx. 1, is Fah-tha, which Gesenius defines thus : " To 
persuade any one," and refers to this very text as an 
illustration of the term. Hence the passage in question 
might be hterally rendered, " Thou hast persuaded 
me, and I was enticed, (see Gese;uw5, page 875.) The 
text, " Lead us not into temptation," is thus translated 
by McKnight, " x4Lbandon us not to temptation." And 
this, surely, gives a correct idea of the verse in 
question. Hence we repeat, " Let no man say when he 
is tempted, I am tempted of God." 

20. God Cannot Lie. — It is impossible for God to lie. Heb. vi. 18. 

God Lies by Proxy: He Sends forth Lying Spirits to 
Deceive. — Eor this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that 
they should beheve a lie. 2 Thess. ii. 11. — Xo^r, therefore, behold, the 
Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, 
and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. 1 Kings xxii. 23. — 
And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a tiling, I the 
Lord have deceived that prophet. Ezek. xiv. 9. 

Xone of the texts quoted above impHcate God in 
a falsehood. 

The facts are, that God 2ye7vnitted certain things to 
be done, which resulted in judgments upon the smful. 
He 2^^^'^iits strong delusions to come upon those who 
reject his truth, as in 2 Thess. ii. 11. And in the case 
of the king who would not beheve God's prophets, 
we find that lyuig spirits were allowed to fill the 
mouths of the prophets of Ahab. Not indeed that 
God sanctioned lying; but as Ahab had rejected his 



32 THE BIBLE TRIUilPHANT. 

truth, and would not receive his prophets, therefore 
lying spirits were permitted to lead him on to certain 
destruction. It must however be borne in mind, that 
from the 19th verse to the 24th is a- recital of a vision 
of the prophet, and not by any means to be under- 
stood hterally. It is true that God is represented in 
the Bible as doing things, which he only permits. This, 
however, is common to Scripture phraseology. In 
Matt. viii. 32, the Lord Jesus is represented as com- 
manding the devils to go into the herd of swine, "And 
he said unto them. Go ! " Now if we consult the pre- 
ceding verse we will perceive that the devils had fii'st 
actually "besought him;" therefore the expression 
" Go " was used merely to signify his compliance with 
their urgent request ; and therefore, was used purely^ 
permissively. (See Dr. SleigJis Def. Die.) 

21. Because of Man's Wickedness God Destroys Him. — 

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and 
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil 

continually And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom 1 

have created. Gen. vi. 5, 7. 

Because of Man's Wickedness God will Not Destroy 
Him. — And the Lord said in his heart, I icill not again curse the 
ground any more for man's sake ; for the imagination of man's heart 
is evil from his youth ; neither will I smite any more every living- 
thing. Gen. viii. 21. 

There is not even a semblance of error here, for 
Gen. vi. 5, 7 shows that God will destroy the wicked. 
But Gen. viii. 21 is a promise that God will curse the- 
ground no more, nor destroy every li^ang thing. 
This does not say, however, that he will no more 
destroy the wicked ; for he could easily destroy the 
sinners of earth without destroying every Uving thing.. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. dS 

Sceptics should be more careful, and not wrest the 
Scriptures, nor contradict their own ideas of language 
and good sense ; for they claim to be models of con- 
sistency. 

22. God's Attributes are Bevealed in His Works. — For 

the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly 
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal 
power and Godhead. Eom. i. 20. 

God's Attributes Cannot be Discovered. — Canst thou by 
searching find out God ? Job xi. 7. — There is no searchiug of his 
imdcrstanding. Isa. xl. 28. 

Were it not that this proposition is in the series, we 
should pass it without comment, for it certainly needs- 
charity to even think the infidel candid in the above 
quotation. The Apostle, in Rom. i. 20, is showing that 
a knowledge of God's existence and providence can 
be clearly learned by the physical creation, or as the 
Psalmist says, *• The heavens declare the glory of 
God, and the firmament showeth his handywork." Ps. 
xix. 1. The whole Universe proclaims a God, infinite 
in power, wisdom and righteousness. But with this- 
display of Ins glory and majesty we cannot find him 
out to perfection ; and if the sceptic had quoted the 
whole verse in Job xi. 7, he would have answered his- 
own cavil. We will here quoto it, so that the reader 
may see how beautifully the Bible explains itself: 
*' Canst thou, by searching, find out God 1 Canst thou 
find out the Almighty unto PERFECTION?" This at 
once takes from the infidel the apparent discrepancy 
which was made by garbling Job xi. 7. Nothing can 
ever be g*ained by misrepresenting ANY author, unless 
it is a had reputation. 

[3] 



34 THE BIBLE TRimiPHAXT. 

23. There is bnt One God. — The liord our God is one LDrd. — 
Deut. vi. 4. 

There is a Plurality of Gods. — And God said, Let us make 
man in our ovm image. Gen. i. 2G. — And the Lord God said, Behold 
the man has become as one of us. Gen. iii. 22. — And the Lord appeared 

unto him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre And he lifted 

up his ej-es and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him ; and when he 
saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed liimself 
toward the ground, and s^id, My Lord, if now I have found favour in 
thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Gen. xviiL 
1, 2, 3. — For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, 
the Word, and the Holy Ghost. 1 John v. 7. 

The oneness of tlie Eternal Father is everywhere 
taught in the Holy Wiitings. Truly we can Bay, our 
God is one. But this by no means imphes that the 
word God always means the same Eternal Spirit. It 
is applied to idols and to men, in many places in the 
Holy Scriptures, as the reader will see by examining 
a Concordance. The word God, also, is appHed to 
angels. In Gen. i. 2^, it is said: "And God said, 
Let us make man in our image." The word here trans- 
lated God, is, in the Hebrew, Elohim, and is the 
ejame word translated gods in Gen. iii. 5. The word 
Elohim is plui-al, and is appHed to the angels of the 
Eternal Spirit, who bear the name of Him who 
sent them. 

In order to satisfy the reader that the above is true, 
we wnll give one case in point. In Psa, xcvii. 7, it is 
said of Christ, " Worship him, all ye gods." And 
Paul, in quoting this text in Hebrews i. 6,* gives it 
thus : " Let aU the angels of God worship him." 
Hence, Gen, i. 26, w^here the plural form is used, 
apphes to God's angels, who came to do his will in 
the creation of man. The Deity can, at pleasure, em- 

* See Barnes' 2^otes on Hebrews L 6. 



THE BIBLE TRIU14PHAXT. 35 

power his angels to perform his will ; and what he 
does by or through them he does himself. After 
man sinned, the EloJiim say: '-'The man has become 
as one of us, to know good and evil." Hence all 
the plural forms of the pronouns find their solution in 
the word Elohim, which is also plural, and in many 
cases they have also the verbs agreeing with them 
in numbers. We cannot beheve God came per sonalli/ 
to earth and performed all the acts ascribed to him. 

But, as we have before seen, the Deity has put his 
name in the angels who do his will on earth. This 
position is fairly illustrated in Gen. xviii. 1, 2, 3, which 
the sceptic quotes above to falsify the Bible, but 
which in reahty tends to harmonize its difficulties. In 
this case, the three angels which meet Abraham he 
.calls " My Lord." Hence this very text takes from 
ihe infidel his chief weapon of attack. So far as 
1 John V. 7 is concerned, we would remark that the 
i:hree which bear record in heaven are, the Father, 
who is the one Deity ;tand the Word which was made 
flesh by the Deity, and dwelt among men ; and the 
IIoli/ Spint which proceeds forth from the (one) 
Father and the (one) Son. And as to the three being 
one, we would say they are one as far as the bearing 
of the record is concerned (as the sense of the text 
implies), but not " one God," which would igTiore the 
.sense of divine revelation. We therefore conclude 
that these passages are fairly explained by the 
Scriptures themselves; and, had the compiler of "Self- 
■Oontra dictions" been as zealous in learning the 
Scriptures as he has been in trying to find discrep- 
ancies in them, he would not now be found fighting 
.agairist God. 



36 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

We now dismiss Chap. I. and appeal to the candour 
and good sense of the reader to decide whether there- 
is ONE proposition fairly sustained by the infidel who 
wishes to destroy confidence in the blessed Bible, so 
that he may sow rank weeds of a heartless and unholy 
philosophy in the minds of men. may the God 
of the Bible grant that there may be such a convic- 
tion forced home upon the sceptic's mind that he 
may repent and embrace the word of God as the- 
harmonious revelation of truth; that he may now 
walk in the way of fife, and attain hereafter to tht 
glories of eternity. 



MORAL PRECEPTS. 



24. Bobbery Commanded. — ^When ye go, ye shall not go 
.empty ; but every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her 
that sojourneth m her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and 
raiment: and ye shsll put them upon your sons, and upon your 
daughters ; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. Ex. iii. 21, 22. — And 
they borrowed of tie Eg}i)tians jeAvels of silver, and jewels of gold, 
and raiment And they spoiled the Egyptians. Ex. xii. 35, 36. 

Sobbery Forbidden. — Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, 
neither rgh him. Lev. xix. 13. — Thou shalt not steal. Ex. xx. 15. 

Infidels il every age of the world have taken 
advantage/of the fact that God commanded the 
Israelites to carry with them, when they left the 
land, a pirt of the wealth which nominally belonged 
to the Egyptians. Cannot even the sceptic see the 
justice d this ? Has he never read of the long years 
during which Israel toiled without recompense? 
Has 1^ never heard of the wealth which they 
amassed for their Egyptian masters ? Or why does 
he accuse the God of heaven of injustice when 
he cdnmands Israel to take a small portion of 
lih^Yi: \wn earning s% Truly 'thou shalt not defraud 
thy neighbour ; " but Israel hc4 been defrauded for 
ages, and because Israel's God ta^^g f^-Qj^ the Egyp- 
tians a portion of then* ill-gotten sp^ig^ qj^^ returns 
it to those who earned it, those weak a.;j puny men 
who dare to sit in judgment upon the acts c. Jehovah 
have set up the cry of " Robbery ! " Oh, hu..^^^^ j 
where is thy shame I 



THE BIBLE TRIX:^IPHA^'T. 



tRahab] took the t^.o men, f^^^^ ^^^^ , .^d it came to pass 

i,en uBto me, but I wist not ^f'^'^'J^^^^ j, ,,3 dark, that the 
a^ut the time ^^^^f^' Z'^^l.o. not: pursue after 
jnen went ^^^ =/^'^'! Jf' ^^'.ke them. But she had brought 
them quickly; for ye ^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^hem with the stalks 
them up to theroof of t^^^°^^*^;^^ ^^^.^ ,he harlot justified 
of flax. Josh. u. 4, ^'J'- ^ ^ ^^^ messengers, and had sent 
y,r works, when she had reccn e ^ ^^ __^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ 

them out another ^^J ■ ^ ^^ ^hem, my have ye done 

called for the ^^^^^^'^^L !,"^,t;'^^^^^ alive? And the nud- 

this thing, and ha^-e ^^J^ ^ ^^^^ Hebrew women are not as 

^ves said unto ^^^''^^^;f^^lf,Lir, and ar. delivered ere the 
the EgyP^i^^^^^^'^i^^lem Therefore God d^t well with the 
xnidwivescome ^ ^^«^^^'^ ,^,,^ eame forth a spirit, and stood 

midwives. Es 1. 18-20. And^ ^^ j ^ g, f.-^h, 

before the Lord and said, I ^ P^^^^^ ^^ ,u his pnphets. Andhe 

Ll^^ulhl^'^^^^^^^^^ -^P-^^^ ^"-^ ^^^^"' ^^' '^ 

Jo! ^ Kings xxii. 21, 22. 

le^g UPS - *°TrX 'lia bumeth «h fire and 
7,„« shall have their part ui the lal. 

acciised of ^PP°^^? ^ ja^es ii. 25 is qu.ted to 

^'^^ °' Sir ^ s J-Sed /<. ¥>^. Truy, this 

prove t^**.^'^,% Ached'' "^ten the text savs she 

conclusion f /■t^'^-^^ u.canse " she had received the 

^as justified by t<-or.,^b^^ out another way." -She 

messengers and sen ^^^ ^.^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^j^^ ^1^^ 

■n-as justified toi ^^^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^ niid^v-ives, vhom 

said. The n^;;^^^ commanded to destroy all the 

the ^SJ^^ °/^he Hebrews. " But the midwives 

n^^^® r^od, and did not as the king of Egypt com- 

^^"led, but saved the male children aHve.... Uere- 



THE BIBLE TRIUIUPHANT. 39 

fore [because tliey feared God rather than man], God 
dealt Tvell with the midwives." Then- defence before 
the king, when reproved for their course, is another 
matter. God did not " deal well " with them as a 
reward for icliat they told the king, but for their good 
works in saving tht children alive. 

But how does the infidel know that what they told 
the king was false? It still remains to be proved 
that they were guilty of falsehood at all. Indeed it is 
more than likely, in the light of history and physiol- 
ogy^ that the midwives told the truth in respect to the 
hard-working daughters of Israel. For a reply to 
1 Kings xxii. 21, 22, see the harmony of Prop. 20. 

26. Hatred to the Edomite Sanctioned. — He [AmaziahJ 

slew of Edom, in the valley of salt, ten thousand And he did 

that which was rigJd in the sight of the Lord. 2 Bangs xiv. 7, 3. 

Hatred to tlie Edomite Forbidden.— Thou shalt not abhor 
an Edomite ; for he is thy brother. Deut. xxiii. 7. 

Prop. 26 is certainly the most hare-faced and dis- 
honest misrepresentation that we have ever seen. In 
this instance the infidel is obliged to quote the Bible 
backwards, skipping four verses at a time, in order to 
prove his position. 

It is evident that he has a very difficult case on 
hand this time. He quotes 2 Kings, xiv. 7 : " He slew 
of Edom, in the valley of salt, ten thousand," and then 
skips backwards four verses, where the account of 
the king's reign begins, and quotes what was said of 
that monarch lohile he loas innocent of any mans blood; 
viz., that " He did that which was right in the sight 
of the Lord." Thus every principle of truth and 
honour, everv sentiment of candour and fairness, is 



40 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

sacrificed to prove that a God of justice has sanctioned 
crime. We can use no language sufficiently strong in 
^condemning such pali^ahle dishonesty, 

27. — Killing Commanded. — Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 
Put every man his sAvord by his side, and go in and out from 
gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, 
imd every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. 
Ex. xxxii. 27. 

Killing' Forbidden. — Thou shalt not kill. Ex. xx. 13. 

The sceptic here quotes Ex. xxxii. 27 to prove that 
Ood has commanded murder. This is a record of 
one of the severest judgments of Jehovah, upon a 
people who had repeatedly trampled upon his laws 
and defied his power — they had sinned in the face of 
his mercy, and rebelled in the midst of his Fatherly 
care. Therefore he pronounces upon their guilty 
heads the penalty of death. The tender-hearted 
sceptic appears to be opposed to capital punishment. 
The laws of England forbid murder, but capital punish- 
ment is still in force for the worst of crimes ; and 
because it is thus inflicted does it follow that the 
statutes of our country contradict themselves, and that 
they sanction murder, by hanging a criminal? The 
infidel's idea of justice (if indeed he has any) appears 
to be strangely perverted. 

23. The Blood-shedder Must Die.— At the hand of every 
man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's 
blood, by man shall his blood be shed. Gen. ix. 5, 6. 

The Blood- shedder Must Not Die.~And the Lord set a 
mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Gen. iv. 15. 

This is another specimen of " skipping backwards " 
in order to manufacture a contradiction. He quotes 



THE BIBLE TRimiPHANT. 41 

the law wliich pronounces the penalty upon murder 
in Gen. ix., and then goes back five chapters and 
quotes the ivth chapter to prove that God violated 
his own law, sixteen hundred and fifty-five years before 
it was ever made! Such brazen efforts to garble the 
Bible must excite the pity of every candid reader. 

29. The Making of Images Forbidden. — Thou shalt not 
make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anytliing that 
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath. Ex. xx. 4. 

Tile Making of Images Commanded. — Thou shalt malce 

i\vo citerulji/iis of gold And the cherubims shall stretch forth 

their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and 
their faces shall look one to another. Ex. xxv. 18, 20. 

In- Exodus XX. 4, men are forbidden to make " unto 
themselves " any graven image, that is, they are com- 
manded to worsliip nothing which is made by their 
own hands : and in Exodus xxv., where we find the 
instructions relative to the building of the Ark of the 
Covenant, it reads : " Thou shalt make two chenibims 
of gold," etc. The first command forbids the worship 
of images, the second sanctions the creation of a 
beautiful symbol over the " mercy seat " of Jehovah. 
It was made "unto God," and not "unto themselves." 
It was not the object of worship ; but the beautiful 
type of a glorious future. Cannot the Deity forbid 
the worship of idols, and at the same tune permit his 
people to erect the golden symbols of his love and 
mercy without contradicting himself and violating 
his own law ? 

30. — Slavery and Oppression Ordained. — Cursed be Canaan : 
a servant of servants shall be unto his brethren. Gen. ix. 25. — Of 
the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them 
shall ye buy They shall be your bondmen for ever: but over 



42 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

your brethren, the children of Israel, ye shall no« rule one over another 
with rigour. Lev. xxv. 45, 46. — I will sell your sons and daughters inta 
the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the 
Sabeans, to a people far off ; for the Lord hath spoken it, Joel iii. 8. 

Slavery and Oppression Forbidden. — Undo the heavy bur- 
dens let the oppressed go free break every yoke, Isa. Iviii. 6. 

— Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him, Ex. xxii. 21. 
— He that stealetii a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his 
hand, he shall surely be put to death. Ex, xxi. 16 — Neither b& 
ye called masters. Matt, xxiii. 10. 

We now com© to the SOth problem of the Infidels 
Arithmetic ; for the work we are reviewing is the text- 
hook of nearly every sceptic in the land. In this 
instance, God is charged with ordaining slavery and 
oppression. Gen. ix. 25 is simply a prophecy of what 
would come to pass in the future ; it is not a decree of 
what shall he. Lev. xxv. 45, 46 is so well explained 
by the following note from Dr. Cheever that we in- 
sert it entire. He says : 

" Let us now read, along with this, the passage in 
Lev. xxv. 46, relating to the heathen servant or 
servants coming from the heathen nations into Judea 
for employment, and engaged under the same jubilee- 
contract,* the "/or ever contract^'' as in the preceding 
instance of the Hebrew servant so engaged. It reads 
thus : ' Ye shall take them as an inheritance for your 
children after you, to inherit a possession ; ye shaE 
serve yourselves with them for ever.' As we have 
said, the phraseology is almost exactly the same in the 
last clause, defining the extent of the contract with 
the heathen servant, as in the clause in Ex. xxi. 6, 

* According to the Bible laws, all servants were released from 
their servitude at the end of each period of fifty years, or jubilee 
periods ; for proof of which please read the whole v* ^:; 25th chapter 
of Leviticus. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 43- 

which defined the extent of the contract with the 
Hebrew servant, the word 'forever' being used in both 
cases, and used with the same meaning, that is of a 
contract extenduig to the jubilee. The word bond- 
man, or bondmen, is not used in either passage, though 
our translators have chosen to put it in the text in 
the passage applying to the heathen, but without the 
least authority or reason for so doing. Instead of 
saying the2/ shall he your bondmen for ever, the passage 
simply says, just as concerning the Hebrew servant 
in Exodus, ' they shall serve you forever ;' that is, ' they 
shall be your servants for the longest period admitted 
by your laws for any service or contract, even till the 
jubilee. And as engaged by such contract, and paid 
on such terms, ye do take them and may take them 
as an inheritance for your children after you, for any 
part of the term of service unexpired, when you, the 
head of the family, are taken away from your house- 
hold. Then these servants, by you engaged and paid 
for an apprenticeship till the jubhee, shall be for your 
children to inherit as a possession — the possession of 
their time and service, which, by your contract with 
them, as rightfully belong to your children as to you, 
until the stipulated period comes to an end. That is 
the jubilee contract, the forever contract.^ The passage 
in Ex. xxi. 6 is absolute demonstration in regard to 
this matter. 

'• And thus are all the refuges of lies swept away^ 
by which the advocates of slavery (asserting that 
the heathen were slaves to the Hebrews, or could be 
held as such,) endeavour to make men believe that 
slavery is sanctioned by the law of God." See God 
agairist Slavery, pp. 156-7. 



44 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHAXT. 

Joel iii. 8 is a prophecy of God's judgments •apon 
the enemies of his people : " And they have cast lots 
for my people, and have given a boy for an harlot, 
and sold a giil for wine, that they might drink. Yea, 
and what have ye to do with me, Tyre, and Zidon, 
.and all the coasts of Palestine ? will ye render me a 
recompence? and if ye recompence me. swiftly and 
speedily will I retm-n yom- recompense upon your own 
head ; because ye have taken my silver and my gold, 
and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant 
things : the children also of Judah, and the children 
■of Jerusalem, have ye sold unto the Grecians, that 
ye might remove them far from then* border. Behold, 
I T\dll raise them out of the place whither ye have sold 
them, and will return your recompence upon your 
own head: and I will sell your sons and your 
daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, 
and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people 
far off: for the Lord hath spoken it." 

It was the recompence returned upon their own 
heads : because they had sold the children of Judah 
into bondage, they must undergo the same punish- 
ment they had put upon God's people. Every candid 
reader will acknowledge the justice of this penalty. 

31. Improvidence Enjoined. — Consider the lilies of the field, 

"how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin If God so 

clothe the grass of the field shall he not much more clothe 

you? Therefore, take no thought, saying, "What shall we eat? 

or What shall we drink ? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed ? 

Take therefore no thought for the morrow. Matt. vi. 28, 31, 34. — 
Give to every man that asketh of thee ; and of him that taketh 

away thy goods, ask them not again And lend, hoping for 

nothing again ; and your reward shall be great. Luke vi. 30, 35.—- 
Sell that ye have and give alms. Luke xii. S3. 



THE BIBLE TRITBIPHAXT. 4:5^ 

Improvidence Condemned. — But if any pro-vide not for his 
own, and especially for those of his own house, he liath denied 
the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 1 Tim. v. 8. — A good 
man leaveth an inheritance to his childrens' children. Prov. xiii. 22^ 

The two texts which seem to oppose each other in 
the above are Matt. vi. 31, 34 and 1 Tim. y. 8.- 
McKnight's translation from the original Greek 
obviates the difficulty : " Therefore, say not anxiously 
. . . what shall we eat, etc. . . . Be not then anxious 
about the morrow . . . sufficient for the day is its own 
trouble." Matthew and Luke teach us to trust in 
him who feedeth the ravens, while Timothy and Pro- 
verbs urge us not to become indolent ; for we must 
" work while the day lasts." Surely there is no con- 
tradiction here. While we are instructed to be 
industrious and economical in the expenditure of our 
means, we are to avoid anxiety in reference to the 
future supply of our wants : for if we seek first the 
Kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things 
shall be added unto us. 

33. Anger Approved. — Be ye angry, and sin not. Eph. iv. 26. 

Anger Disapproved. — Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry : 
for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Eccl. vii. 9. — Make no friend- 
ship with an angry man. Pror. xxii. 24. — The wrath of man worketh 
not the righteousness of God. James i. 29. 

Ephesians iv. 26 is thus rendered by Belsham: " If 
ye be angry, yet sin not ; " and in this version he is- 
sustained by Wakefield, Newcome, Bowyer, Beza,. 
and Grotius, 

"The words," says Dr. Whitby, "are not a command 
to be angry ; but a caution to avoid sinful anger."" 
Hence, all apparent discrepancy is obviated. 



46 THE BIBLE TRIUSIPHANT. 

33. Good Works to be Seen of Men.— Let your light so 
shiue before men, that they may see your good works. Matt. v. 16. 

Good Works Not to be Seen of Men. — Take heed that ye 
•do not your abns before men, to be seen of them. Matt. vi. 1. 

To the casual reader, these passages might appear 
inharmonious, especially as the sceptic has left out an 
important part of the first text. The beauty of the 
passage will be seen by quoting it entire. "Let your 
light so shine before men that they may see your 
good works, and glorify your Father which is in 
heaven." 

In Matt. V. 16, we are taught to let the Hght of 
truth so shine that men may be constrained to glorify 
God. Whereas Matt. vi. 1 forbids the giving of 
alms for the purpose of being seen of men, that we 
may receive the praises of the multitude. Truly, 

" God is his own interpreter, 
And he will make it plain." 

The harmony of the text teaches us to work with 
reference to the glory of God, instead of om* own 
glory. 

34. Judging- of otbers Forbidden. — Judge not, that ye be 
not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. 
Matt. vii. 1, 2. 

Judging of others Approved. — Do ye not know that the 
saints shall judge the world ? And if the world shall be judged by 
you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters ? Know ye not 
that we shall judge angels ? How much more things that pertain to 
this life ? If, then, ye have judgments of things pertaining to this 
life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 1 Cor. 
vi 2, 3, 4. — Do not ye judge them that are within ? 1 Cor. v. 12. 

The points of discrepancy which are made to appear 
in the above passages are derived purely from wrest- 
in g: them from their context. The text in Matt. vii. 



ITTE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 47 

1, 2, has specific reference to a rash condemnatory 
sph'it, which Jesus here highly reprehends, and warns 
his disciples against indulging in any course so unjust 
^and wrong. 

1 Cor. yi. 2-4 refers to the period of the millennial 
Teign of Christ, when the saints will be joint rulers 
with him, executing the judgments of Jehovah upon 
the ungodly and the sinners against God's law, and 
^t which time they will be seated on thrones of judg- 
ment, and reigning on the earth as " kmgs and priests " 
with Christ. In proof of this, read in connection with 
1 Cor. vi. 2-4, Ps. cxlix. 5-9 ; Rev. v. 9, 13 ; Matt. xix. 
28; Rev. XX. 4-6; Dan. vii. 13, 14, 18, 21, 27. The 
last text quoted by the infidel is 1 Cor. v. 12. A 
simple reading of the passage with its connections 
will satisfy the reader that it has reference to exclud- 
ing from christian fellowship those who are unworthy 
the name of Christ. In the light of these facts, we 
would ask the candid reader where the sceptic has 
-any ground for offering these passages as opposed to 
each other. But we have had, and probably shaU 
continue to have, occasion to expose many cases 
equally palpable and unjust. 

35. Clirist Taught Non-resistance. — Eesist not evil ; but who- 
•soever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
Matt. V. 39. — All they that take the sword shall perish with the 
fiword. Matt. xxvi. 52. 

Clirist Taught and Practised Physical Resistance. — He 
that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. Luke xxii. 
56. — And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them 
all out of the temple. John ii. 15. 

Agreeable to ^latt. v. 39, we are taught not to 
avenge ourselves or i^esist evil. The promotion of the 



48 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

Christian religion does not depend upon carnal wea- 
pons, nor the sword. The sceptic, however, would 
have it appear that because Christ instructed his dis- 
ciples, just before he was taken and crucified, to seU 
their garments and buy swords, etc., that he taught 
physical resistance. AVhereas, the truth is, that when 
infoiTQed that there were two swords, he said they 
were enough. But they were not enough if they 
were to have a combat and resist those sent to take 
him; but they were enough for the purpose for which 
Jesus wished them, and that was to practically illus- 
trate his mercy and kindness : for when Peter cut off 
the servant's ear, Jesus rebuked him for his rash act, 
and healed the bleeding wound. -Hence from this 
circumstance we learn that Christ was a practical 
example of his own teaching. We conceive the fore- 
going to be all that it is necessary to notice. 

36. Christ Warned his Followers Not to Fear being- 
Killed. — Be not afraid of them that kiU the body. Luke si. 4. 

Christ Himself Avoided the Jews for Fear of being' 
Killed. — After these things Jesus walked in Galilee ; for he would 
not M-alk in Jewry, because tho Jews sought to kill him. John rii. 1. 

Luke xii. 4 (not xi. 4, as above quoted.) is simply 
an exhortation to fear God rather than man. It 
teaches that we are not to shape our conduct to please 
the world; but to obey the commands of God, fearless- 
of man's opposition: for "I, even I, am he that com- 
forteth you, who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid 
of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which 
shall be made as grass ; and forgettest the Lord thy 
Maker, that hath stretched forth thft heavens and laid 
the foundations of the earth ? " 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 49 

John vii. 1 is an evidence simply that Christ sought 
to preserve his own hfe until the time came for him 
to be offered up. Did he not give up his life cheei'- 
fully, when the hour was come ? He was a zuiUhig 
sacrifice for our sins. His blood was spilled even for 
those who are spending time in villifying his pure 
character, and charging the Son of God with false- 
hood. We may search in vain amid the records of 
the dark ages for ingratitude so base and black as 
tJiis, which thus blots the pages of modern civili- 
sation. 

37. Public Prayer Sanctioned. — And Solomon stood before 
the altar of the Lord in the presence of aU the congregation of Israel, 
and spread forth his hand toward heaven, [Then follows the prayer.] 
And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all 
this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the 
altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands spread 
up to heaven. 1 Kings viii. 22, 54. — And the Lord said unto him, I 
have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made 
before me. 1 Kings ix. 3. 

Public Prayer Disapproved. — When thou prayest. thou shalt 
not be as the hypocrites are : for thej love to pray standing in tho 
synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen. 

of men But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and 

when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret. 
Matt. vi. 5, 6. 

The only text that seems to require any explanation, 
in the above, is Matt. vi. 5, 6, and this is simply a 
record of the conduct of that class which is still 
represented in the 19th century by those who make 
long and flowery speeches upon their knees, that thej 
may be admired of men ; and in opposition to this- 
course, the disciples are admonished to secret prayer. 

God's cliildren are not forbidden to pray before 
men. Jesus, our great exampler, prayed before the 

[4] 



50 THE BIBLE TRIXDIPHANT. 

multitude at the grave of Lazarus, and his followers 
may also thus acknowledge God before men ; but we 
are forbidden to pray for the j^uiyose of being seen of 
men, as Avell as to make long prayers for a pretence. 
Our instructions then, by both precept and example, 
are, not to be ashamed of God or afraid to acknow- 
ledge before men our dependence upon him. And 
as our great High Priest prayed before the multitude, 
we w^ho try to follow his footsteps may do likewise. 
But we are also to remember that he most frequently 
sought solitude wherein to convi>rse with the I\Iost 
High ; so also the great burden of the Christian's prayer 
is in secret, in the closet or in the chamber, where 
God alone can hear and approve; and we have the 
promise of an open reward. Prayer is our only means 
of communion with the Most High. He has com- 
municated w^th us by his word ; but we only com- 
m.une with him through the means which he himself 
has ordained for our benefit- And surely Ave cannot 
neglect this, our greatest ecrtldy privilege. 

38. Importuning in Prayer Commended. — Because tliis 
■widow troubleth me, I will avenge her. lest by her continual coming 

she weary me And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry 

day and night unto him ? Luke xviii. 5, 7. — Because of his impor- 
tunity, he will rise and give him as many as ho needeth. Luke xi. 8. 

Importunity in Prayer Condemned. — But when ye pray 
use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do ; for they think that they 
shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye, therefore, like, 
imto them : for your Father knoweth what tilings ye have need of 
before ye ask liim. Matt. vi. 7, 8. 

This preposition i& so similar that it scarcely needs 
a reply. Karnestnei>s and constancy of prayer are 
commended, wiiile we are admonished not to us© 



THE BIBLE TRIU:yiPHAXT. 51 

** vain repetitions, as the heathen do." The wise man 
fiays, Be not rash with thy month, and let not thine 
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God ; for God 
is in heaven and thou upon earth, therefore let thy 
"words be few." Hence, we are to approach the 
Majesty of the skies with becoming reverence ; we 
are to avoid the customs which the heathen adopt in 
addressing their gods; for an illustration of which 
please see the worship of Baal, as recorded in 1 Kings 
3:viii. 26-29. 

39. The Wearing of Long Hair by Men Sanctioned, — 
And no razor shall come on his head ; for the child shall be a Nazarite 
unto God from the womb. Judg. xiii. 5. — All the days of the vow of 
"his separation there shall be no razor come upon his head ; until the 
-days be fulfilled in the which he separateth liiraself unto the Lord, he 
shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 
Num. vi. 5 

Tlie "Wearing of Long Hair by Men Condemned. — Doth 
not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have lonr/ hair, it is 
^hame unto him ? 1 Cor. xi. 14. 

This only needs a simple remark to obviate all 
difficulty. We Avill state for the information (?) of 
the sceptic, that many customs and practices which 
were sanctioned by the old Mosaic law passed away 
and were rendered obsolete by the termmation of 
that dispensation. Hence his quotation from the New 
Testament, of a declaration which was made long 
after the fulfilment of the law, bears no evidence 
against the customs of the previous dispensation. 

40. Circumcision Instituted. — This is my covenant which ye 

shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee ; every man 
child amongst you shall be circumcised. Gen. xii. 10. 

Circumcision Condemned. — Behold I, Paul, say im to you, tha/ 
if ye be circumcised, Clirist sliall profit you nothing. Gal. v. 2. 



52 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

The infidel has made precisely the same mistake^ 
here that he made in the previous proposition. Cir- 
cumcision was instituted in the days of Abraham, 
and incorporated into the Mosaic law, which wa» 
nailed to the cross ; for " Christ is the end of tlie law." 
So Paul ivas right when he said, that " if ye be cir- 
cumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing ; " for to 
conform to the requirements of a law which lie had 
rendered obsolete, was virtually the rejection of hiiu 
as the Messiah. 

41. The Sabbath Instituted. — Remember the Sabbath dajy. 
to keep it holy. Ex. xx. 8. 

The Sabbath Repudiated.— The new moons and sahhaths, the 
caUing of assembhes, I cannot, away with ; it is iniquity. Isa. i. 
13. — One man esteemeth one day above another : another esteemeth 
every day ahke. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 
Eom. xiv : 5. — Let no .man therefore judge you in meat or drink, or 
in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath 
days. Gal. iv. 5. 

The keeping of the seventh day, as holy time, was- 
also instituted under the law and sanctioned by 
Jehovah in the Jewish dispensation. Isa. i. 13 is; 
addressed to a class of persons who had sinned so fear- 
fully before the Lord that their sacrifices were vain 
oblations, and their incense was an abomination unto 
him. Therefore, he saith, " Bring n© more vain obla- 
tions — incense is an abomination unto me — the new 
moons and Sabbaths — the calling of assembhes — I 
cannot : away with — ^it is iniquity, even the solemn 
meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts 
my soul hateth." They had sinned until even their 
worsl^ip was oifensive to Deity; for "The prayers of 
the ivicked are an abomination to the Lord." Henc& 



i 



THE BIBLE TRITOIPHAXT. 53 

lie says, " '\^nien ye spread forth your liands, I ^vill 
hide mine eyes from you ; yea, when ye make many 
prayers, I will not hear. Youi' hands are full of hloodr 
Does not tliis sufficiently explain why their new 
moons and Sabbaths were distasteful to God ? But 
the keeping of the seventh day passed away with the 
law of which it was a component part. It is well to 
devote one day in the seven exclusively to the wor- 
ship of God. The disciples met on the first day of 
the week, and it was also hallowed by the resurrection 
-of our Lord. Hence we recognize this as the day 
of worship ; but there is noio no law of God which 
-commands us to observe the Mosaic Sabbath. Hence 
Eom. xiv. 5, and Gal. iv. 5, are to the point. 

42. Tlie Sabbath Instituted because God Rested on 
iJie Seventh Day. — ^For in six days the Lord made heaven and 
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh 
day : wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. 
Ex. XX. 11. 

The Sabbath Instituted because God brought the Isra- 
elites out of Egypt. — And remember that thou wast a servant in 
the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out 
thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm : therefore 
the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day. 
Deut. V. 15. 

Any close observer will see at once that there is 
no want of harmony here. Ex. xx. 11 shows loliy 
" the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it," 
and Deut. v. 15 shows why he commanded Israel to 
keep the Sabbath day, after it was instituted. So there 
is not even the semblance of a contradiction here. 
Comment is unnecessary. 

43. No Work to be done on the Sabbath under Penalty 
of Death. —Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he 



54 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

shall surely be put to death. Ex. xxxi. 15. — And they found a 
man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. . , And all the 
congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with 
stones, and he died ; as the Lord commanded Moses. Num. xv, 
32, 36. 

Jesus Christ Broke the Sabbath, and Justified his Dis- 
ciples in the same. — Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, 
and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the 
Sabbath day. John v. 16. — At that time Jesus went on tlie Sabbath 
day through the corn ; and his disciples were an hungered, and began 
to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw 
it, they said unto him. Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful 

to do upon the Sabbath day. But he said unto them Have y& 

not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath days the priests in the- 
temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless ? Matt. xii. 1, 2, 3, 5. 

The Son of God is here accused of violating the 
Sabbath; but Tve answer the charge in the words of 
Jesus himself, '* The Sabbath was made for man, and 
not the man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of 
Man is Lord also of the Sabbath." 

44. Baptism Commanded. — Go ye therefore, and teach all 
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. Matt, xxviii. 19, 

Baptism Not Commanded. — For Christ sent me not to baptize, 

but to preach the gospel I thank God that I baptized none of 

you, but Crispus and Gaius. 1 Cor. 1. 17, 14. 

The infidel here quotes the commission for baptism, 
and then takes advantage of the words of Paul and 
tries thereby to nullify the commission. This logic i& 
so weak that it does not deserve any answer. Suppose 
Paul did not receive an especial commission to baptize^ 
does that prove that Jesus gave no such commission 
to any one? Shame upon such pitiful objections to 
God's word ! 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 55 

45. Every Kind of Animal Allowed for Food. — Every 
moving tiling that livetli shall be meat for you. Gen. ix. 3. — What- 
soever is sold in the shambles that eat. 1 Cor. x. 25. — There is 
nothing unclean of itself. Rom. xiv. 14. 

Certain Blinds of Animals Prohibited for Food. — Never- 
theless tliese ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them 
that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the 
coney : for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof : therefore, 
they are nndean unto you. And the swine, because it divideth the 
hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you : ye shall not eat 
of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. Deut. xiv. 7, 8. 

This is one of those propositions that needs no 
reply ; but the fact that tt belongs to the series 
crowds it upon our notice ; so we will simply 
remark that Gen. ix. 3 refers to a period eight hundred 
and ninety-seven years (according to the best chron- 
ology we have) before that law against the use of 
certain meats was enacted. 

Deut. xiv. 7, 8 is a record of the enactment of that 
laAv. And 1 Cor. x. 25, and Rom. xiv. 14 were written, 
the one twenty-nine, and the other thirty years after 
the law was abolished. We think this explanation 
must prove satisfactory even to an inlidel. 

46. The Taking of Oaths Sanctioned.— If a man vow a vow 
unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall 
not break his Avord, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of 

his mouth. Num. xxx. 2. — Now, therefore, szceamnto me by God 

And Abraham said, I will swea?- Wherefore he called the place 

Beersheba, (the well of the oath,) because there they sware both of 
them. Gen. xxi. 23, 24, 25, 31. — And Jacob sware by the fear of his 
father Isaac. Gen. xxxi. 53.— Because he [God] could swear by no 
greater, he sware by himself. Heb. vi. 13. 

The Taking of Oaths Forbidden. — But I say unto you, sivear 
not at all ; neitlier by heaven, for it is God's throne ; neither by tlio 
earth, for it is his footstool. Matt, v 34. 



5G THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

Oaths were allowed under the old dispensation, and 
forbidden under the new. Had the sceptic been 
aware of the fact that Christ was the end of the law, and 
honest enough to acknowledge it, it would have saved 
us much useless labour. 



47. Marriage Approved. — And the Lord God said, It is not 
good that the man should be alone ; I wiU make him an help-meet for 
Mm. Gen. ii. 18. — And God said unto them, Be fruitful, and mul- 
tiply, and replenish the earth. Gen, i. 28. — For this cause shp.li a 
man leave father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife. Matt. 
xix. 5. — Marriage is honourable in all. — Heb. xiii. 4. 

Marriage Disapproved. — It is good for a man not to touch 
a Avoman. 1 Cor. vii. 1. — For I [Paul] woidd tliat aU men were oven 
as I myself ... It is good for them if they abide even as I. 1 Cor. 



The compiler of the work before us here quotes 
Paul to nuUify the marriage covenant ; but he has, as 
usual, misrepresented the text and vilified its author. 
1 Cor. vii. 1, so far from disapproving of marriage, is 
actually addressed to married people, as the v/hole 
connection shows. The 7th and 8th verses are ad- 
dressed to icidows and icidowers, " I say therefore, to 
the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they 
abide even as 1." The word "mimarried" in the 
above text is agamoi and applies to those who have 
lost their companions, " It is good for them if they 
abide even as I." That is, it was good for them to 
remain in a widowed state, for, according to the best 
historical evidence we can get, Paul was at this time 
a widower. The prevalent idea, that Paul was a 
bachelor, has no foundation either in his epistles or 
in history. Eusehius, Clement, and other authentic 
historians speak of him as a married man. 



THE BIBLE TRrCTMPHANT. 57 

48. Freedom of Divorce Permitted.— When a man has 
-taken a wife and married her, and it come to pass that she find no 
favour m his eyes . . . then let him write her a bill of divorce- 
ment, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. Deut. 
xxiv. 1. — TVlien thou goest forth to war against tliine enemies, and 
the Lord tliy God hath deUvered them into tliine hands, and thou 
liast taken them captive, and seest among the captives a beautiful 
-woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldcst have her to 
thy wife . . . and after that thou shalt go in unto her and be her 
husband, and she shall be thy wife . . . And if thou have no 
<leliglit in her, then thou shalt let her go wliither she will ; bat thou 
shalt not sell her at aU for money, thou shalt not make merchandize 
of her. Deut. xxi. 10, 11, 14. 

Divorce Bestricted. — But I say unto you, that whosoever 
shall put nway his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth 
her to commit adultery. Matt. v. 32. 

The reader will see at once that the texts quoted 
in Deuteronomy refer to the Mosaic Dispensation, 
and that in Matthew is the law of Christ. Our learned (^.) 
MstoHan has made this blunder so often, that we are 
weary of correcting him. Had he omitted that class 
•of contradictions, " falsely so called," his propositions 
would have been few indeed. 

49. Adultery Forbidden. — Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
Ex, XX. 14. — Whoremongers and adulterers, God -will judge. Heb. 
xiii. 4. 

Adultery Allowed — But all the women children that have not 
known a man by Mng Avith him, keep alive for yourselves, Num. 
xxxi. 18. — And the Lord said unto Hosea, Go, take thee a wife of 
whoredoms ! . . Then said the Lord to me [Hosea], Go yet, love 
A woman, beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress. ... So I 
bought her . . . and said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many 
days : thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for 
;another man : eo will I also be to thee. Hos. ii. 1, 2, 3. 

Num. xxxi. 18 is here quoted to prove that Moses 
authorized the Israehtes to make concubines of the 



58 THE BILBE TKIIDIPHAXT. 

whole number of female children. But the whole- 
tenor of the law, and especially the statute recorded 
in Deut. xxi. 10-14, proves most decisively to the 
contrary. They were merely permitted to possess- 
them as female slaves, educating them in their famihes, 
and employing them as domestics — ^for the laws con- 
cerning fornication, concubinage and maniage, for- 
bade an Israehte from even marrying a captive 
without delays and previous formahties. If the reader- 
will study the whole connection of Hosea i., he will 
see that under the figure of a T\nfe proving false to 
her marriage vows, and bearing children hkely to 
follow her example, the prophet represei)ts the shame- 
fid idolatry of Israel which provoked God to cast them 
off. The whole passage conveys information by 
action, instead of words. That is, it is an allegorical 
representation of the ingratitude and unfaithfidness- 
of the nation. The Lord had provided for and pro- 
tected Israel. He had cared for them as a thought- 
ful husband cares for his wife. And they owed the 
fidehty of a wife to a tender husband. Instead or 
this, however, they had long addicted themselves to 
^piW^wrt/ fornication, or idolatiy. (See Cottage Bible.) 



53. — Marriage or Cohabitation with a Sister Denounced. 
— Cursed is he ttuit lieth -with his sister, the daughter of liis father. 
Dent. xxtIL 22. — And if a man shall take a sister, liis father's 
daughter, or his mother's daughter ... it is a wicked thing. Lev. 
XX. 17. 

Abraham Married his Sister and God Blessed the TJnion^ 
— And Abraham said. . . . She is mv sister : she is the daughter- 
of my father, but not the daughter of mv mother. Gren, xx. 11, 12. 
— And God said imto Abraham, As for Sarah, thy wife, ... I wilt 
bless her, and give thee a son also of her. Gen. xiL 16, 



THE BIBLE TRIIBIPHANT. 5i>^ 

The Bible indeed denounces marriage with a sister, 
but the truthful declaration of Abraham was made 
four hundred and seven years before any law vras 
enacted against the marriage of near relatives. Says = 
Dr. Sleigh, "There are two very obvious reasons 
why, at the beginning, near relations were not pro-- 
hibited intermarrying : 

1. No physical evil arises from it till repeated 
through general generations. 

2. In the beginning, as it seemed fit to the Creator- 
that the earth should be populated from one pair, it 
was indispensably necessary for even brothers and 
sisters to many, but as generations began to increase 
the necessity became diminished and the physical 
evil increased, till it seemed good to the Almighty to 

give specific directions on the subject Since 

that time, of course, intermarrying Avith near relations 
has been criminal." 

51. A Man may Marry his Brother's "Widow, — If brethren 
dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of ' 
the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger ; her husband's 
brother shall go in unto her and take her to wife. Deut. xxr. 5. 

A Man may Not Marry his Brother's Widow. — If a man 

shall take his brother s wife, it is an unclean thing . . . thej shall . 
be childless. —Lev. xx. 21. 

Lev. XX. 21 forbids a man taking his brother's 
"WIFE, while Deut. xxv. 5 permits him to marry his 
brother's widow. The difi'erence is obvious, ^^^ile 
a woman's husband lives she is a wife, but at his 
death she ceases to be a ivife and becomes a ividow. 
Hence Lev. xx. 21 is simply an enactment against 
adultery. 



60 THE BIBLE TRimiPHAXT. 

52. Hatred to Kindred Enjoined. — If any man come unto 
me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and 
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own Ufe also, he cannot be my dis- 
ciple. Luke xiv. 26. 

Hatred to Kindred Condemned. — Honoar thy father and 
mother. Eph. tL 2. — Husbands love your wives . . . For no man 
ever yet hated his own flesh. Eph. t. 25, 29. — Whosoever hateth his 
brother is a murderer, 1 John iiL 15. 

In Liike xiv. 26 the word liate merelv .si2:nifies to 
Jove less. Please notice that a man is commanded to 
hate his own life in the same sense that he is com- 
manded to hate his relatives. The meaning of tlie 
text evidently is, that he who so loves his father and 
mother or his ownjiesh as to obey any of then* impulses, 
orders or dhections, in opposition to the commands 
of God, '-^cannot be tny discipleJ^ It is evident that 
-according to Scripture usage, the word Iiate simply 
means to love less. Thus in Proverbs we find the 
declaration, " He that spareth the rod hateth his son." 
If our affections are placed upon God and his Son, 
everything else will be of mijior importance. 

53. Intoxicating Beverages Recommended. — Give strong 
rdrinJc to him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that be of 
heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember 
his misery no more. Prov. xxxL 6, 7. — Drink no longer water, but 
use a little wirte for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities. 
1 Tim. v. 23. — Wine maJxih glad the heart of man. Ps. civ. 15. 

Intoxicating Beverages Discountenanced. — "Wine is a 
mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is 
not wise. Prov. xx. 1. — Look not upon the wine when it is red ; when 
it giveth his colour in the cup ... At the last it biteth like a serpent 
.4uid stingeth like an adder. Prov. xxiiL 31, 32. 

The first three texts simply recommend the use of 
^wiae for medicinal purposes, and the last two forbid 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. Qt 

its use as a beverage. Sucli foolish objections are a 
shame to the boasted intellect of manhood. 

54. It is our Duty to obey Rulers, who are God's 
Ministers, and punish Evil Doers only. — ^Let every soul be 
subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God ; 
the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever, therefore,, 
resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God ; «ind they that 
resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a 
terror to good works, but to evil. . . For this cause pay ye tribute :- 
for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very 
thing. Rom. xiii. 1, 2, 3, 6. The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' 
seat ; all, therefore, whatsover they bid you observe, that observe 
and do. Matt, xxiii. 2, 3. — Submit yourselves to every ordinance of 
man for the Lord's sake : whether it be to the king as supreme, or " 
unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment 
of evil doers. 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14. — I counsel thee to keep the king's 
commandment . . . Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel 
no evil thing. Eccl. viii. 2, 5. 

It is Not our Duty always to obey Rulers, who some- 
times Punish the Good, and receive unto themselves 
Dam.nation therefor. — But the midwives feared God, and did- 
not as the king of Egypt command them . . . Therefore God dealt 
well with the midwives. Ex. i. 17, 20.— Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abed-nego answered and said, . . Be it known unto thee, O king^. 
that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which 
thou hast set up. Dan. iii. 16, 18. — Wherefore king Darius signed 
the writing and the decree . . . (that whosoever shall ask a petition 
of any God ... for thirty days ... he shall be cast into the den of" 
lions) . . . Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed^ 
he went into his house, and . . . kneeled upon his knees threa 
times a day, and prayed . . . as he did aforetime, Dan. vi. 9, 7, 10.- 
— And the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against 
his Christ. For of a truth, against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou 
hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and 
the people of Israel, were gathered together. Acts. iv. 26, 27. — ■ 
Beware of the Scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love- 
salutations in the market places, and the chief seats in the syna- 
gogues . . . These shall receive greater damnation. Mark xii. 38,- 
39, 40. — And Herod with his men of war set him at naught, and' 
mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him agaia. 



^62 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

to Pilate, . . And Pilate gave sentence. . . . And when they 
were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified 
him. . . And the people stood beholding. And the rulers alsfl 
with them derided him. Luke xxiii. 11, 24, 33, 35. 

The long array of texts here quoted, simply teaches 
»God's children to obey every law of the " powers that 
be," that is founded in justice and equity. When 
.any State law conflicts A\dth the National Constitution, 
it is not our duty to obey it, so when human law 
■ conflicts with the law of God, we are not to bow to 
the lesser, but yield our obedien-ce to the great Law- 
giver of the Universe. " Render to Caisar the things 
that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 
Hence, whenever we can obey rulers and magistrates 
without conflicting with the law of God, we are scrip- 
-iturally bound to do so. But if man legislate against 
'God and his truth, our obligation to them ceases ; for 
instance, the Fugitive Slave law was made by man, 
but it conflicted with God's command to do to others 
.as we would that they should do to us ; hence no 
Christian could consistently act up to its requirements. 
The immortal Blackstone — England's pre-eminent 
jurist — well remarks that " An enactment is not a law, 
v/hen it conflicts with the law of God." 



55. Woman's Rights Denied. — And thy desire shall be to 
thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Gen, iii. 16. — I suffer not 
.a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in 
.silence. I Tim. ii. 12. They are commanded to be under obedience^ 
.as also saith the law. 1 Cor. xiv. 34. — Even as Sarah oieyec/ Abraham, 
•calling him Lord. 1 Pet. iii. 6. 

Woman's Rights Affirmed. — And Deborah, a prophetess, . . . 

Judcjed Israel at that time. . . And Deborah said unto Barak, 

Up ! for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered iSisera into 

ithine hand . . . And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots. 



THE BIBLE TRroMPHANT. 63 

iand all his host, with tlie edge of the sword before Barak. Judges iv. 
4, 14, 15. — The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in 
Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel. Judges v. 7. — And 
on my hand maidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit, and they 
shall prophesy. Acts ii. 18. — And the same man had four daughters, 
^rgins, which did prophesy. Acts xxi. 9. 

Because a woman is taught to render due respect 
■to her husband and not to usurp authority over him ; 
because women were forbidden to habitually speak 
in public, or to interfere with matters which it was a 
man's business to attend to — does it therefore follow 
that when the Lord pours out his spirit upon them, 
that they are still to be silent? If God bestows an 
extraordinary gift upon woman, or gives her a work 
to do, no apostle of Jesus would forbid her. Anna 
was allowed to prophesy in the temple as well as 
*Simeon. And Paul's prohibition of a woman's pray- 
ing or prophesying unveiled was certainly an acknow- 
ledgement of her right to do so, under such a 
regulation. Hence the Bible gives to woman a 
-position of dignity, and also of delicacy — ^it points out 
i:he true sphere in which she is to act with becoming 
TQodesty and self-respect. 

56. Obedience to Tvlasters Enjoined. — Servants obey in all 
things your masters according to the flesli. . . And whatsoever ye do, 
■do it heartily, as to the Lord. Col. iii. 22, 23. — Be subject to your 
viasters with all fear ; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the 
f reward. 1 Pet. ii. 18. 

Obedience Due to God Only.— Thou shalt worship the Lord 
thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Matt. iv. 10. — Be not. ye the 
servants of men. 1 Cor. vii. 23. — Neither be ye called masters : for 
-one is your master, even Christ. Matt, xxiii. 10. 

The passages in the first part of this proposition 
«imply teach servants to obey their masters in matters 



64 THE BIBLE TRUHJPHAXT. 

relating to their regular employment. But the inSde! 
thinks he finds a contradiction of this in Matt. iv. 10, 
-which teaches that the "Lord thy God" is the only 
oV --'-t of worship. But it requires Ht'tle discernment ta 
see V "t this passage has no reference to secular 
things. He also quotes 1 Cor. vii. 23, which reads, 
" Ye are bought with a price ; be not ye the servants 
of men." Christ having given his life for the saints, 
they are to obey him in preference to men. There 
is surely no contradiction here, for the texts quoted in 
the first part of the proposition nowhere teach that 
servants are to obey their masters in preference to- 
Christ. 

Matt, xxiii. 10 is an admonition to the saints, which 
forbids the assumption of titles. 

57. There is an Unpardonable Sin. — He that shall blaspheme 
against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness. Mark iii, 29. 

There is No Unpardonable Sin. — And by him all that believe 
are justified from all things. Acts xiii. 39, 

The key to this problem is found in the latter part 
of the text last quoted, and which the infidel was 
obliged to leave off in order to make out his '' con- 
tradiction." The text reads thus: — "And by him 
all that believe are justified from all things from 
which ye could not be justified hy the law of Moses^ 
By quoting the whole text, the difficulty is at onc& 
obviated. There was no justification in the law of 
Moses, as will appear from Rom. iii. 20 : " Therefore, 
by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified 
in his sight ; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." 
It is not the province of law to justify, but to con- 
demn those who transgress. Hence, in the Kew 



i 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 65 

Testament, justification is attributed to the grace of 
Jesus Christ. The unpardonable sin mentioned ia 
Mark could not be committed under the dispensation, 
of the law. Hence, Acts xiii. 39 has no reference to 
it whatever. The unpardonable sin consists in an 
apostacy from the truth of the Gospel. " For it m 
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and 
have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made par- 
takers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good 
word of God and the powers of the world to come, if 
they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repent- 
ance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of 
God afresh, and put him to an open shame." Heb. 
vi. 4-6, 



[65 



HISTORICAL FACTS. 



58. Man was Created After the other Animals.-— And 
God made the beasts of the earth after his kind, and the cattle aft«sr 
their kind . . . And God said, Let us make man ... So God 
created man in his own image. Gen. L 25, 26. 

Man was Created Before the other Animals.— And the 
Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone : I will make a 
help-meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed 
every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them 
unto Adam to see what he would call them. Gen. ii. IS, 19. 

The latter part of Gen. ii. 18, 19, is simply a repe- 
tition of Gen. i. 25, 26. The idea from the original 
Hebrew would perhaps be more clearly expressed by 
the following rendering : " The Lord God brought 
every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air 
(which he had formed out of the ground), unto Adam 
to see what he would call them." The mere redun- 
dancy of expression is a frivolous pretext for a cavil. 

59. Seed Time and Harvest were Never to Cease. — While 
the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest . . . shall not cease. 
Gen. viii. 22. 

Seed Time and Harvest Did Cease for Seven Years. — 
And the seven years of dearth began to come . . . And the famine 
was over all the face of the eartli. Gen. xli. 54, 56. For these two 
years hath famine been in the land ; and yet tliere are £ve years in 
which there shall neither he earing nor. harvest. Gen. xlv. 6. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 67 

This " contradiction," like many others, has bee:\ 
manufactured by wresting a text from its connection. 
•Oen. viii. 22 is simply a promise of the change of 
■seasons. The true ellipsis of the text is as follows : 
" Seed time and harvest time shall not cease." God 
has no where promised us a crop of grain every year, 
but simply that seed time and harvest time shall con- 
tinue. This is evident not only from the grammatical 
construction of language, but from the whole con- 
nection. The verse reads as follows: — "While the 
-earth remaineth, seed time and harvest [time] and 
cold and heat and summer and winter and day and 
night shall not cease." 

60. God Hardened Pharaoli's Eeart. — But I will harden his 
.heart, that he shall not let the people go. Ex. iv. 21. — And the Lord 
hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Ex. ix. 12. 

Pharaoh. Hardened his Own Heart. — But when Pharaoh saw 
that there was respite, he hardened his hearty and hearkened not unto 
^hem. Ex. viii, 15. 

This proposition admits of the most easy solution. 
Both texts are strictly true. God was the cause 
of hardening Pharaoh's heart, because he it was v/ho 
offered mercies to the wicked king upon conditions 
of obedience : and on the other hand it is equally 
true that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, because 
lie resisted the kindness and mercy of God, and 
brought desolation and ruin upon himself and king- 
dom. 



61. All the Cattle and Horses in Egypt Died.— Behold, 
llie hand of tlie Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the 
liorsey, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the 
■slict'p . . . And all the cattle of Ejtjpt died, Ex. ix. 3, 6. 



€8 THE BIBLE TRIUMPnAXT. 

All the Horses cf Egypt did Not Die.— But the Egyptians 
pursued after iliem (ail the /<o?-5es and ehariots of Pliaraoli, and liis 
horsemen, and liis army), and overtoolc tliem encamping by the sea. 
Ex. xiv. 9. 

The infidel hea-e endeavours to prove first, that all 
the horses of Egypt were slain by God's judgment ; 
and second, that they pursued the children of Israel 
with horses. But it is very evident that their horses 
were not all killed (if indeed any of them were), from 
the following facts : 

1st. The threat simply includes the animals in the 
field ; and the horses belonging to the royal service 
could not have been labouring in the field : and there 
were probably many others also that were not there. 

2nd. The record only says that " all the cattle of 
Egypt died." It does not say that the horses died 
also. And it will be noticed that the disease which 
was sent upon the cattle, to destroy them, was tha 
nmrrain — a disease not likely to attack horses ! 

3rd. The words, both in the Hebrew and Greeks 
which are rendered "all" in our version, in many 
instances simply mean " many," or a " large propor- 
tion," "a majority." For instance, "^^/ Judea went- 
out to be baptised of John in Jordan : " stiU we have 
accounts of a certain class that did not go. See also 
the declaration that " death has passed upon all men; " 
yet we have the history of two men who never died. 
Hence we may safely infer that the term is used m. 
the same legitimate sense in the text before us. 

62. Moses Feared Pharaoh. — And Moses feared, and said,. 
Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard tliis thing, 
he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled before the face of Pharaoh, 
and dwelt in the land of Midian . . . And it came to pass, in process- 
of time, that the king of Egypt died . . , And the Lord said unto- 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 69 

3Ioses, in Midian, Go, return unto Egypt ; for aU the men are dead 
which sought thy life. Ex. ii. 14, 15 ; Ex. ii. 23 ; Ex. iv. 19. 

Moses Did Not Fear Pharaoh. — By faith he [Moses] forsook 
Egypt, not fearing the vrrath of the king. — Heb. xi. 27. 

The texts quoted in Exodus refer to Moses' flight 
from Egypt at the time he slew the Egyptian, at 
which time it h, very evident that he feared the wrath 
of Pharoah. But Heb. xi. 27 refers exphcitly to the 
time when Moses left Egypt with the children of 
Israel, and as at this time he was acting directly in 
harmony with the express commands of Jehovah, he 
had no cause to fear an earthly tyrant. 

63. There Died of the Plague Twenty-four Thousand.— 

And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. 
jSTum. xxv. 9. 

There Died of the Plague but Twenty-three Thousand. — 

And fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 1 Cor. x. 8. 

This problem is clearly explained by Bagster's note 
upon the first text, which we insert. " St. Paul reckons 
only 23,000, though some manuscripts and versions, 
particularly the latter Syrian and Armenian, have also 
here 24,000. Allowing the 24,000 to be genuine (and 
none of the Hebrew manuscripts exhibit a various 
reading here), and the 23,000 of St. Paul to be as 
genuine, the two places may be reconciled by sup- 
posing, what is very probable, that Moses includes in 
the 24,000 the 1,000 men who were slain, in conse- 
quence of the judicial examination (verse 4), as well 
as the 23,000 who died of the plague, while St. Paul 
only refers to the latter. Hence it is clear that the 
whole number of those who died of the plague was 
24,000, while it is equally true, as Paul says, that 
•* there fell, in one day three and twenty thousand.'" 



70 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT, 

64. Jolm the Baptist was Elias.— This is Elias which was- 
for to come. Matt. xi. 14. 

John the Baptist was Not Elias. — And they asked him,. 
What then ? Art thou Elias ? And he said I am not. John i. 20. 

Matt. xi. 14 reads, " If ye will receive IT, this is Elias- 
which was for to come." 

The reader will see at once by the pronoun nsed 
in the foregoing text, that it does not refer to the 
person of Elias. It simply conveys the idea that John 
the Baptist was the forerunner, or the Elias of the 
first advent, as Elias himself is to be the forerunner of 
the seconcZ. If we should say that Abraham Lincoln 
was the Washington of the 19th century, no on& 
would suppose that we intended to convey the idea 
that he was in fact George Washington. And al- 
though John Avas indeed the Elias, or forerunner of 
the first advent of the Messiah, yet in reply to the- 
question " Art thou Elias? " (^. e. the veritable prophet) 
he truthfully answers, "lam not." His position is easily 
explained by the text which says " he came in the- 
spirit and power of Ehas." 

65. The Father of Joseph. Mary's Husband, was 
Jacob. — And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom 
was born Jesus. Matt. i. 16. 

The Father of Mary's Husband was Heli.—Being the* 
son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli. Luke iii. 23. 

This problem is easily solved by the following con- 
siderations: It is evident, from Matt. i. 16, that 
Jacob was the natural father of Joseph, while Heli 
was the father of Mary, liis wife; and as Mary was; 
the only child and heiress of HeH (according to the 
Talmud) when Joseph married her, he became the 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 71 

only son and heir of Heli. The Jews often traced 
genealogy in this way. " For instance, in 1 Chron. ii. 
22, Jair is reckoned among the posterity of Judah : 
because the grandfather of Jair (ver. 21) had married 
the daughter of Machir, of a noble house in the tribe 
of !Manasseh (ch. vii. 14.) Therefore the same Jair 
is called the son of Manasseh, although he was only 
related to Manasseh by marriage." (See Bef, Die.) 

66. The Father of Salah was Arphaxad. — And Arphaxad 
lived five and thirty years and begat Salah. Gen. xi. 12. 

The Father of Sala was Cainan. — Which was the son of 
Sala, which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad. 
Luke iii. 35, 36. 

Some authors state that Cainan was the surname 
of Sala, and that the names should read thus : " The 
son of Heber, which was the son of Sala-Cainan, the 
son of Arphaxad." This is the more probable, as the 
words the son are supplied by the translators in order 
to make it more intelligible to us; for the genealogies, 
as they stand in the Jewish records, are simply a 
series of names. Hence the translator, who was un- 
acquainted with the names, might easily make a 
division as above. 

67. There were Fourteen Generations from Abraham 
to David. — So all the generations from Abraham to David are 
fourteen generations. Matt. i. 17. 

There were but Thirteen Generations from Abraham to 
David. — Abraham begat Isaac. . .Jacob. . .Judas. . .Phares. . .Esrom. . . 
Arara...Aniinadab ...Naason...Salmon...Booz... Obed... Jesse... David. 
(13.)— Matt. i. 2-6. 

Generation is a term applied either to a regular 
descent from father to son, or to a certain number 



72 THE BIBLE TRIUINIPHANT. 

of years.. It is in this latter sense Matthew makes 
use of the word generation : ''So all the generations 
from Abraham to David are fom*teen generations," etc. 
Not fourteen regular successions of fathers and sons; 
for he proves he never meant any such thing bv 
giving, in the same paragraph, the names of a number 
of persons sufficient to constitute the cham of pro- 
genitors up to Abraham, but not sufficient to make 
fourteen progenitors between David and Abraham. 
The term generation, even at the present day, is 
applied to a number of years. 

In the English Court of Chancery, it has varied 
from sixty to twenty years. Among the Jews it has 
also varied from one hundred to thirty years, so that 
the number of years constituting the term generation 
has varied at different periods of the world. Matthew 
took his account from the Jewish records, and just 
copied what he found therein recorded. Hence the 
number of years constituting fourteen generations, 
from Abraham to David, was probably different from 
the number of years constituting fourteen generations 
from David until the Babylonish captivity ; and again 
from the latter event to the coming of Christ. Thus 
we find that so far from there being any evidence of 
error in Matthew's statement, the error is in the mind 
of the sceptic. (See Dr. Sleigh.) 

68. There were Fourteen Generations from the Baby- 
lonish Captivity to Christ. — And from the carrying away into 
Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Matt. i. 17. 

There were but Thirteen Generations from the Baby- 
lonish Captivity to Christ. — And after they Avere brought to 
Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel...Zerobabel...Abiud...EUakim... 
Azor. . . Sadoc. . . Achim. . .Ehud. . . Eleazar . . .Matthan. . .Jacob. . .Joseph^ 
the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus. (13.) — Matt. i. 12-16. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 73 

This has been explained under the foregoing pro- 
position. It is evident that Matthew's term generations 
signifies a certain number of years, which were re- 
cognized as generations, according to the Hebrew 
standard. 

69. The Infant Christ was Taken into Egypt. — ^When 
he arose he took the young child and his mother by night and departed 
into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod . . , But when 
Herod was dead ... he took the young child and his mother and 
came . . . and dwelt in a city called Nazareth. Matt. ii. 14, 15, 
19, 21, 23. 

The Infant Christ was Not Taken into Egypt. — And 
wiien the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were 
accomphshed, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the 
Lord . . . And when they had performed all things according to 
the law of the Lord, they returned ... to their own city, Nazareth. 
Luke ii. 22, 39. 

The sceptic's only difficulty on this point appears 
to be that he has got his chronology badly mixed. 
Luke writes on this subject of an event which took 
place a year previous to that recorded by Matthew. 
He says, "And when the days of her purification 
were accomphshed p. e. thirty-three days, according 
to the law of Moses], they brought him [the child] to 
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [please read 
the beautiful law recorded in Ex. xiii. 2, Ex. xxii. 29], 
and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said 
in the law of the Lord — a pair of turtle doves or two 
young pigeons. And when they had performed all 
things according to the law of the Lord, they returned 
into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth." 

And, according to the best chronology, it was a 
year after this event, that Joseph being warned of 



UiyC^ r?r<^i^^ 'vv»^i^5^^^y«5^>»v 



€ 



^ 
^ 



74 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

^ God in a dream, took the young child and his mother 
V by night and fled into Egypt, where they remained 
J until the death of Herod. 

^ Before leaving this subject, we ought to remark for 

\5the information (?) of the Infidel, that the events 

J recorded in the Bible are not ahvays arranged in the 

^ precise order in which they occurred. It is by 11a 

^ means necessary, in ©rder for the Bible to be true, 

tv that all the events recorded by Matthew must chrono- 

(^ logically precede those recorded by Mark and Luke. 

We see, therefore, in conclusion, that after the days 

of her [Mary's] purification, they returned to their 

own city Nazareth, and dwelt there a year, after 

ivhich the infant Christ was taken into Egypt. Any 

ordinary mind can see the harmony between Matthew 

and Luke on this subject. 

70. Christ was Tempted in tlie Wilderness. — And im- 
mediately [after Christ's baptism] the Spirit driveth him into the 
wilderaess. And he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted 
of Satan. Mark i. 12, 13. 

Christ "Was Not Tempted in the Wilderness.— And the 
third day [after Christ's baptism] there was a marriage in Cana of 
Galilee . . . Both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage. 
John ii. 1, 2. 

This contradiction (?) was manufactured by the three 
words after Christ's baptism, which has been inserted 
by the Infidel in the last text. This statement en- 
closed in brackets is simply false. And had the sceptic 
read the previous chapter with any attention, he 
might have known it to be such, for it gives no ac- 
count whatever of Christ's baptism. 

The subjects of the chapter are, 1. The position 
and office of Christ, and 2. The testimony of Jolm 



it 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 75 






%o 



%\ ^that he loas the Chiist, and t»his he proves by a state- 
's: ; ment of what occurred four years previous, when lie 
^ orj, immersed the Messiah in the Jordan. And the next 
•i ^ day after this, it appears he was with the same persons 
^ (or other unbehevers) again; for seeing Jesus coming 
^ J^ unto him he said, " Behold the Lamb of God, which. 
"S^f^ taketh away the sins of the world," and adds, " This 
I ^ is he of whom I said [at the time of the baptism, see 
Matt. iii. 11], After me cometh a man which is pre- 
ferred before me." He then continues his testimony 
with the words, " And I knew him not ; but he that 
sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto 
me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending 
and remaining upon him, the same is he which bap- 
tizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bar© 
^ record that this is the Son of God." 

In John ii. 1, we find the sceptic's quotation, " And 
on the third day there was a marriage in Cana of 
'^^ Galilee," etc. The third day after what? Not the 
i third day after Christ's baptism, as the Infidel states, 
for that took place four years previously (as is easily seen 
by noticing the chronology at the head of the chap- 
ters), but the third day after the events recorded in 
the foregoing chapter, that is after John thus testifies^ 
' to others that Jesus was the Christ, and proves his 
testimony by a statement of what he himself wit- 
nessed. 

This proposition exhibits a dishonesty so bold and 
shameless that none but an Infidel would have the- 
assurance to hold it up before a civilized world. 

71. Christ Preached His First Sermon on the Mount. — 

And seeing the multitude he went up into a mountain, and when he 
was set his disciples came unto him. And he opened liis mouth and« 
taught them, saying. Matt. v. 1. 



76 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

Christ Preached His First Sermon in the Plain. — And 

he came do"vvn with them and stood in the plain ; and the company of 
his disciples, and a great multitude of people, . . . came to hear 
him. . . And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said. Luke 
vi 17, 20. 

This is anotlier instance in which a direct falsehood 
has been ingeniously conveyed to the mind. What 
anthority has the Infidel for stating that the sermon 
which Cliiist delivered on the plain, as recorded in 
Luke Aa. 17, 20, was his first sermon ? T\niat authority, 
indeed? What pretext or excuse can he have for 
this, when the very chapter preceding gives an 
account of Christ preaching a sermon from Simon's 
€liip on the edge of Gennesaret, while his audience 
thronged the shore. And in the chapter next preceding 
this we find the declaration, "And Jesus returned 
in the power of the Spirit unto Galilee, and there 
went out the fame of him through all the regions 
round about and he taught in their synagogues, being 
glorified of all." Luke iv. 14, 15. Immediately after 
this follows an account of a sermon in the synagogaie 
at Nazareth. Again in verse 31 of the same chapter 
we read, "And pie] came down to Capernaum .... 
and taught them on the Sabbath day." And when 
they urged him to stay with them, his reply, as 
recorded in verse 43, is, " I must preach the Kingdom 
of God in other cities, for therefore am I sent; and he 
preached in the synagogues of Galilee." 

Yet, in the very face of all these declarations in the 
two preceding chapters, when we come to the next 
instance recorded hi Luke vi., the sceptic very coolly 
calls it his first sermon 1 1 What beautiful consistency ! */ 
liad the Infidel taken the trouble to read the sermon 
delivered on the mount (Matt, v.), and the one de- 



*J, 



THE BIBLE TRroMPHAXT. 77 

livered on the plain (Luke vi.) he would also have dis- 
covered some difference in the discoui'ses. 

72. Jolin was in Prison when Jesus went into Galilee. 

— Now, after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee- 
preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Mark i. 14. 

John was Not in Prison when Jesus went into Galilee. 
— Tlie day following, Jesus -f70uld go forth into Galilee. John i. 43. — 
And after these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of 
Judea . . . And John was baptizing in JEnon . . . For John 
was not yet cast into prison. John iii. 22, 23, 24. 

This proposition is so arrayed as to convey to the 
mind the idea that Jesus never went into Galilee but 
^ once, whereas the Bible distinctly speaks of his being 



^ there seventeen times. The green vales of Galilee were 
the Avitnesses of many of his noble deeds, and the 
clear waters of her beautiful lakes testify to his 
miracles and his love. 

He went into Galilee many times before John was 
cast into prison, and many times afterwards. Hence, 
the contradiction in the above proposition we fail 
to see. 

73. Christ's Disciples were Commanded to go forth, 
with a Staff and Sandals. — And commanded them that they 
should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only ; no scrip, no- 
bread, no money in their purse ; but be shod with sandals. Mark vi. 
8, 9. 

Christ's Disciples are Commanded to go forth with 
neither Staves nor Sandals. — Provide neither gold, nor silver, 
nor brass in your purses ; nor scrip for your journey, neither two- 
coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves. Matt. x. 9, 10. 

Mark represents Jesus as telling his apostles to 
take nothing for their journey save a staff on\j, while 
in Matthew they are forbidden to take staves ; there is 
nothing contradictory here, the evident idea of both 



78 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

texts i« that they were to take hut one. Probably one 
apiece, simply as an aid in walking, and not to carry 
several as if they designed thereby to protect them- 
-selves from physical harm. As they trusted in Omni- 
potence for protection they had no need to carry 
staves for weapons. 

Also, in Mark they are commanded to be shod with 
sandals, and in Matthew they are forbidden to provide 
themselves with shoes; but this is not inconsistent. 
The sandals were much hghter and more portable 
than shoes. The Avord sandal is purely Chaldee, and 
when translated means a light shoe. It is compounded 
of sin a shoe, (see Targum, Deut. xxv. 9, 10.) and dal^ 
thin, light, slender, or mean, (see Martinus Etymo- 
logical Lexicon) they were much Hghter than the hypo- 
dema, or common shoe. Hence, in the commission, 
the preference was given to them. It is probable, 
however, that our Saviour intended more particularly 
to convey the idea that they were to take no change 
of garments, and this idea is sustained by Wilson's 
version of Matt. x. 9, 10, which reads thus, " Carry 
no travelling bag, no spare clothes, shoes, or staff." 
See Emphatic Diaglott. 

74. A Woman of Canaan Besought Jesus.— And behold, 
a woman of dinaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto liim, 
saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David ; my daughter 
is grievously vexed with a devil. Matt, xv. 22. 

It was a Greek Woman who Besought Him. — The woman 
was a Greek, a Syro-Phenician by nation, and she besought him that he 
would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. Mark vii. 26. 

Syro-Phenicia, was in the time of our Saviour, a 
province of the Greek government, and was inhabited 
bv tlie descendants of Canaan. The woman referred 



THE BIBLE TRIUIVIPHANT. 79 

to in the above proposition, lived in Syro-Phenicia, 
hence she was a Greek, and as she was descended 
from Canaan, she was also " a woman of Canaan." 
Thus we may speak of a negro who was born in 
Kentucky, and say of him with equal propriety, that 
he is a ''man of Africa," an "American," and a 
*' Kentuckian." Hence we see that the Bible is in 
perfect harmony on this, as well as all other points. 

75. Two Blind Men Besought Jesus. — And, behold, two 
blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus passed 
by, cried out saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 
Matt. XX. 30. 

Only One Blind Man Besought Him. — A certain blind man 
sat by the wayside begging. . . And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou 
Son of David, have mercy on me. Luke xviii. 35, 38. 

Had the Infidel quoted the context in the above, 
his proposition would have beautifully explained itself. 
We give the sense entire. Luke says, " And it came 
to pass as they came nic/h unto Jericho, a certain 
blind man sat by the wayside begging. And hearing 
the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And 
they told him, Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he 
cried saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy 
on me." 

And Matthew says, '^ And as they d&paxied from 
Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, 
two blind men sitting by the wayside, and when they 
heard that Jesus passed by, ciied out, saying. Have' 
mercy on us, Lord, thou Son of David." Hence, 
it is clear that Luke and Matthew refer to two distinct 
and separate instances, one of which took place before 
Jesus and his disciples arrived at Jericho, and the 
other after they departed from thence. 



80 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

76. Christ was Crucified at the Third Hour.— Aud it was 
the tliird huur. and they crucified him, Mark xv. 25. 

Christ was not Crucified until the Sixth Hour. — And it 

was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour ; and 
he saith unto the Jews, Behold your king ! . . Shall I crucify your 
king ? John xix. 14, 15. 

It is supposed that the true reading of John xix. 
14, should be tinte, the third, instead of exte, the sixth, 
' — a mistake which might readily have occurred in 
ancient times, when the character gamma, which was 
used to denote trite, three, might be mistaken for 
episima, or sigma tau, which signifies six. 

The two characters above alluded to are very much 
alike, hence the mistake was easy. Thus we see, that 
w4iich the critic supposed to be a mistake on the part 
of the Author of the Bible was simply a mistake made 
by a few of those who copied the work, — we say a 
few, because trite, third (instead of exte, six), is the 
reading of some very eminent manuscripts. See Dr. 
Clarke, Bengel, Newcome, McKnight, Lightfoot, Ro- 
senmulier, etc., on this point. 

77. The Two Thieves Reviled Christ.— The thieves also^ 
which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Matt, 
xxvii. 44. — And they that were crucified with him reviled him. 
Mark xv. 32. 

Only One of the Thieves Reviled Christ. — And one of the 
malefactors which were hanged railed on him . . But the other an- 
swering rebuked liim, saying, Dost thou not fear God^ seeing thou 
art in the same condemnation ? Luke xxiii. 39, 40. 

It is plain, from the three texts above quoted, that 
at first (according to Matthew and Mark) both of the 
thieves reviled the Messiah, and afterward (according 
to Luke.) one had not only ceased to revile him, but 
reproved tlie other for so doing. Hence the Infidel 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 81 

argues with great complacency, " The Bible contra- 
dicts itself." Surely this is a very weak argument for 
a man to offer, and that too in the very face of the 
fact that they hung over six hours upon the cross* 
Saul of Tarsus and many others were converted in 
much less time than this. 

78. Satan Entered into Judas While at the Supper.— 

And after the sop Satan entered into him. John xiii. 27. 

Satan Entered into Him Before the Supper. — Then entered 
Satan into Judas . . And he went his way, and communed with the 
chief priests and captains, how he might betray him . . Then came 
the day of imleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 
Luke xxii. 3, 4, 7. 

We are weary of correcting propositions which are 
80 transparent as to need no solution. From the 
above it is evident that Satan entered into Judas 
twice : once when he consented to betray his Lord 
for money, and again " after the supper," to strengthen 
him in his purpose to dehver up his Master to those 
who thirsted for his blood. 

79. Judas Committed Suicide by Hanging. — And he cast 
down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and 
hanged himself. Matt, xxvii. 5. 

Judas did Not Hang Himself, but Died Another Way. — 
And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels 
gushed out. Acts L 18. 

It is written in Matt, xxvii. 5 that Judas went and 
hanged himself. Luke, in Acts i. 18, relates only the 
circumstances which followed after he had hanged 
himself: viz., that "falling headlong" (perhaps by 
the rope breaking, or that to which he had fastened 
it giving away), " he burst asunder in the midst, and 
all his bowels gushed out." There is no knowing 



82 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

liow long (perhaps weeks, or even months) he might 
have remained suspended (for it is probable that he 
hung himself in some unfrequented part of the neigh- 
bouring woods) even until decomposition of his body 
had far advanced, and then the falling from a very low 
height indeed would be quite sufficient to cause a 
rupture, or bursting of the parietes of the abdomen, 
and the consequent gushing out of his intestines or 
bowels. 

80. The Potter's Field was Purcliased by Judas. — 
ITow this man purchased a field with the reward of Ills iniquity. 
Acts i. 18. 

The Potter's Field was Purchased by the Chief Priests. 
— And the chief priests took the silver pieces . . and bought with 
them the potter's field. Matt, xxvii. 6, 7. 

" Now this man purchased a field with the reward 
of iniquity." Upon examination, we find that this 
text, and also the one recorded in Matthew, are liter- 
ally true, for the reward of. iniquity (i. e. of Judas' 
iniquity) bought the potter's field; consequently it 
was Judas, who, by his iniquity in betraying his 
Lord and Master, actually bought this property, 
although it was the priests who handed over the 
money for the field to its owners: they were the 
agents, he was the principal. As it may be said of 
any rich man, he purchased such a piece of ground,, 
although he may never have seen either the land or 
its owners, yet it may be truthfully said of him that 
he bought the property if it was done with his 
money, while another person in speaking of the 
same transaction could also say, with truth, that the 
land was purchased by the agent who transacted the 
business. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 83 

81. But One "Woman came to the Sepulchre. — The first 
^ay of the week cometh Mary Magdalene, early, when it was yet dark, 
wnto the sepulchre. John xx. 1. 

Two Women came to the Sepulchre. — In the end of the 

Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came 
Mar)' Magdalene and the other Mai-y, to see the sepulclire. Matt, 
xxviii. I. 

John simply mentions Mary Magdalene as coming 
•early unto the sepulchre ; he does not say that she 
came alone (as he would be obliged to do in order 
to sustain the sceptic's position). There might have 
been other women with her, without invahdating in 
the least John's statement that she came. 

Matthew corroborates John's testimony that Mary 
Magdalene came to the sepulchre, and adds that the 
other Mary was with her. Hence, instead of contra- 
dicting John, he bears witness that his record is true. 

82. Three Women came to the Sepulchre. — ^When the 

"Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, 
and Salome, had brought sweet spices, that they might come and 
anoint him. Mark xvi. 1. 

More than three Women came to the Sepulchre. — It was 

Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and 
^ther women that were with them. Luke xxiv. 10. 

This is similar to the preceding objection. Mark 
testifies that both Matthew and John told the truth 
in the previous proposition, and adds that Salome 
was also with them. Luke declares that the three 
preceding witnesses are correct, in relation to the 
women which they have specified, and conveys the 
idea that there were quite a number of them. So 
there is no discrepancy here. John merely thought 
proper to mention Mary Magdalene, she being the 
most prominent and foremost of the group, while th© 



84 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

other evangelists casually mention a few of those that 
were with her, some more and some less. There may 
have been many women with Maiy Magdalene, on 
that memorable morning, without invalidating the 
testimony of either of the evangelists. 

83. It was at Sunrise when they came to the Sepulchre^ 

— And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they 
came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. Mark xvi. 2. 

It was some time Before Sunrise when they came.— Th& 
first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene, early, while it was 
yet darlcy unto the sepulchre. John xx. 1. 

The grammar of the language gives the solution 
to this problem, for John says " while it was yet dark 
cometh Mary Magdalene," etc., which shows clearly 
that she was on her way, coming to the sepulchre,^ 
while it was yet dark. And, in accordance with this, 
Mark testifies that they came unto the sepulchre, at 
the rising of the sim. 

Hence, it is clear that they left their homes very 
early, while it was yet dark, and arrived at the tomb 
at suniise. When the sceptic is so very particular 
about the precise hour in the morning, it might be 
well for him to pay some attention to the tense of 
the verbs with which he has to deal. 

Before leaving this subject, we will state that 
Wakefield's translation fully sustains the above posi- 
tion. His veraon of John xx. 1, is as follows : " Now" 
on the fii'st day of the week, Mary Magdalene setteth 
out early in the morning, while it was yet dark, towards 
the tomb." 

The word which is rendered cometh in our version, 
is the Greek word Erketai, being the present tense 
of the verb Erkomai, which Groves, in his Greek 

V 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 85 

Lexicon, defines thus: "To issue, come forth, arise 
from, etc. Hence the literal reading of Erketai is 
issuing, coming forth, arising from" Hence we learn 
that early in the morning, while it was yet dark, 
Mary Magdalene was coming forth, or arising from 
her home, to go towards the sepulchre of her Lord. 

84. Two Angels were seen At the Sepulchre, Standing 
Tip. — And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, 
heboid, two men stood by them in shining garments. Luke xxiv. 4. 

But One Angel was Seen, and he was Sitting Down.— 

* Por the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and 

ToUed back the stone from the door, and sat upon it . . . And the 

angel answered and said imto the women, Fear not. Matt, xxviii. 2, 5. 

We can see no discrepancy between these two 
texts. Matthew gives an account of the glorious 
phenomenon of the resurrection. He speaks of the 
earthquake that rent the rocks ; of the glory-clad mes- 
senger of Jehovah who rolled the stone away from 
the tomb ; of the fear of the Roman guards : and adds, 
*'The angel answered and said unto the women, 
Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, that 
was crucified : he is not here ; for he is risen, as he 
said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." 

Luke here takes up the narration, and gives an 
account of what they saw inside of the sepulchre after 
they had entered, in compliance with the invitation of 
the angel who sat upon the stone which he had rolled 
away from the mouth of the tomb. He says : " And 
they entered in, and foimd not the body of the Lord 
Jesus. And it came to pass .... behold two men 
stood by them." We would ask the Lifidel, in all 
candour, Where is the inconsistency ? 

It is evident from the two accounts, that they found 



86 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

the angel sitting on the stone near the mouth of the- 
tomb. He invites them to enter and " see where the 
Lord lay " (i, e. had lain). His language is " Come 
and see." He may have changed his position and 
escorted them to the tomb. He may even have- 
entered with them. He himself may have been one- 
of the two angels seen inside. His language, " Come/' 
would justify the idea; but it matters not, for the^ 
veracity of either evangehst, whether he changed his 
position at all or not. As the women approached the 
eepulchi-e he was nearer the tomb than they, there- 
fore he could with perfect propriety say, " Come and 
see.'* Suffice to say, the women saw him upon the 
outside, and he invited them to enter the tomb, and 
when they had entered they saw two angels inside. 
The fact is as simple as the alphabet, and as clear as 
noonday. Truth shines in every sentence ; and yet 
out of the statement the sceptic has manufactured a 
proposition, which he expects to palm off upon the 
world as a " Self-contradiction of the Bible" 

85. Two Angels were seen within the Sepulchre. — And,, 
as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, and 
seeth two angels in white. John xx. 11, 12. 

But One Angel was Seen within the Sepulchre. — And^ 
entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the 
right side, clothed in a long white garment. Mark xvi. 5. 

There is no difficulty in these texts, when we leara 
by the connection that the incidents occurred at two 
different visits to the sepulchre. Mark is speaking of 
the first, and of what the women saw inside, and in. 
doing so he only mentions the angel who spoke, there- 
by making himself more prominent than his com- 
panion. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 87 

And John records Mary s second visit after the other 
women had gone, and also the disciples ; and while 
she stood there weeping " she stooped down and 
looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in 
white," etc. Hence we see that the entire narration 
is coEsistent with itself, although it is given in parts, 
frequently disconnected, and by four different indi- 
viduals. 

86. Christ was to be Three Days and Three Nights in 
the Grave. — So shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights 
in the heart of the earth. Matt. xii. 40. 

Christ was but Two Days and Two Nights in the Grave. 
—And it was the third hour, and they crucified him . . .It was 
the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath . . And Pilate 

. . . gave the body to Joseph. And he . . . laid him in a 
sepulchre . . . Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of 
the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene. Mark xv. 25, 42, 
44, 45, 46 ; xvi. 9. 

The expression used in Matt. xii. 40, is merely a 
synecdoche, or a phrase wherein a part is spoken of 
as the whole. " Day and night " was a common term 
amongst the Jews, appHed in the reckoning of time 
to a day or to any part of a day. Thus, as Jonah 
was three days and three nights in the fish, so was the 
Son of Man to be in the earth. That is, simply three 
days, not seventy-two hours. Thus he was swallowed 
by the fish on one day (day and night), remained in 
the fish the second, and was discharged from it the 
third day. Hence it may be said that he was three 
days and three nights (a part of three days) in the 
fish. The same mode of expression is adopted even 
in our own times on many occasions ; for instance, 
there are three days of grace on bills of exchange, 
that is, of course, twenty-four houi's for each day. The 



88 THE BIBLE TRITBIPHANT. 

bill becomes due on the fifth of the month, and the 
three days of grace expire on the seventh, so there is 
actually but one whole day^ and only a part of two 
days. 

In Gen. i. the evening and the morning (night and 
day) are no less than six times called simply " day.'' 
And again in Gen. vii. 17, the term "forty days" is 
used for forty days and forty nights. Lastly, the 
transaction mentioned in Esther iv. 16, and Esther v. 
1, proves beyond all dispute, that the expression day 
and night merely meant what we call day. There it 
is recorded that Esther and the Jews fasted three days 
and three nights. And this, although the day on which 
the command was given is included, and the third 
day, the day of the banquet (ver. 4) is also included ; 
60 that in fact there was but one whole day, or a part 
of two days and two nights, and yet that period is 
called three days and three nights, which simply 
implies three days or even parts of days. (See Dr, 
Sleigh.) 

87. The Holy Ghost Bestowed At Pentecost.— But ye 

shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you . . . 
Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 
Acts i. 8, 5. — And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they 
were all with one accord in one place . . . And they were all filled 
with the Holy Ghost. Acts ii. 1, 4. 

The Holy Ghost Bestowed Before Pentecost. — And when 
he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive 
ye the Holy Ghost. John xx. 22. 

The words, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost," contain 
a promise that it shall be bestowed ; but it does not 
specify any time when it shall be given. And, al- 
though the disciples had the promise of the Holy 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 89 

Ohost, they did not expect it previous to the ascension 
■of the Messiah ; for Jesus distinctly told them that " If 
I go not away, the Comforter (or Holy Ghost) will 
not come." 

88. Tlie Disciples were Commanded Immediately after 
Ihe Resurrection to Go into Galilee. — Then said Jesus unto 
them, Be not afraid ; go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, 
and there shall they see me. Matt, xxviii. 10. 

The Disciples were Commanded Immediately after the 
^.esurrection to Tarry at Jerusalem. — But tarry ye in the 
<:ity of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high* 
Luke xxiv. 49. 

The command, " Tarry ye in Jerusalem until ye be 
-endued with power from on high," was not given 
immediately after the resurrection, as the sceptic 
distinctly states, but after Jesus had tarried with his 
disciples for forty days ; it was the very last charge 
he gave them before his ascension. Is it ignorance, 
worse than that which characterized the dark ages, 
or wilful falsehood, which we are thus called upon to 
-expose ? 

89. Jesus First Appeared to the Eleven Disciples in 
a Room at Jerusalem. — And they rose up the same hour and 
returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together . . . 
And as they spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them . . , 
But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had 
seen a spirit. Luke xxiv. 33, 36, 37. — The same day at evening, 
being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the 
■disciples were assembled . . . came Jesus, and stood in the midst. 
John XX. 19. 

Jesus First Appeared to the Eleven on a Mountain in 
Galilee. — Then the eleven disciples went away into GaUlee, into a 
mountain where Jesus had appointed. And when they saw liim they 
worshipped him ; but some doubted. Matt, xxviii. 16, 17. 



90 THE BIBLE TRIUilPHANT. 

There is surely no discrepancy here, It is evident 
from the reading of the Word, that the meeting in 
Jerusalem was previous to the one in Galilee. On 
the same night, after his resurrection, his disciples 
Avere voluntarily gathered together in Jenisalem (pre- 
vious to going into Galilee), and the Lord appeared 
unto them. Luke xxiv. is a very comprehensive 
chapter — ^it embraces a period of forty days, or the 
whole time from the resurrection to the ascension oF 
our Lord ; and in consequence of its brevity, many 
things are necessarily omitted, and among them we- 
find the meeting of Jesus with his disciples on the 
mount in Galilee, according to previous appointment.- 
This eUipsIs is filled by Matthew. But because one 
evangelist records what another omits, is certainly no 
proof that the Bible contradicts itself. And, although 
it is evident from the connection that the meeting in 
Jerusalem was the first one after his resm-rection, it 
is well to observe that neither of them is called the 
first meeting in the text. 

90. Christ Ascended from Mount Olivet. — And when he 
had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up ; and a 
cloud received him out of their sight . . . Then returned they unto 
Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet. Acts i 9, 12. 

Christ Ascended from. Bethany. — And he led them out as far 
as to Bethany ; and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it 
came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and 
carried up into heaven. Luke xxiv. 50, 51. 

Modem sceptics of small intellect, and less informa- 
tion, have said a great deal about the two texts above 
quoted. We have read about this " dreadful contra- 
diction, so fatal to the veracity of the sacred writers." 
And they ask, with all the sarcasm of conceited ignor- 



THE BIBL3 TRimiPHANT. 91 

ance, " "VMiich tells the truth ? Shall wo beheve Luke, 
or the statement found in Acts ? " To which we reply, 
" Believe them hotlu^ Allow us to state, for the in- 
formation of this class of second-rate infidels, that 
" Bethany was a village which was built on the south- 
east side of the mount of OHves." See Mark xi. 1, 
also Bible Dictionary, Encyclopedia, etc. Hence, the 
difficulty at once vanishes, and we find that a little 
knowledge of geography would not be out of place 
in the Infidel's brain. Suppose an author, in writing^ 
the life of George Washington, should say in one 
place that he died at Mount Vernon, and again that 
he died in Virginia — if a man should attempt to prove 
that, in making these two statements, the author con- 
tradicted himself, the civilised world would at once 
pronounce him either a lunatic or a fool, and yet in 
the above proposition, the compiler places himself in. 
the same position. 

91. Paul's Attendants Heard tlie Miraculous Voice, and 
stood SpeecMess. — And the men which journeyed with him [Paul] 
stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. Acts ix. 7. 

Paul's Attendants heard Not the Voice, and were 
Prostrate. — And they that were with me saw indeed the Hght, and 
were afraid ; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 
Acts xxii. 9. — And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a 
voice. Acts xxvi. 14. 

A Httle investigation reveals the simple tnith and 
harmony of this apparent discrepancy. The verb 
" to hear," is repeatedly used, not only in the Scrip- 
tures but also in common conversation, to signify, 
not merely the hearing of a voice (or sound), but the 
understanding, or obeying it. For instance, the Lord. 
Jesus said to those who heard him, " He that hath 
ears to hear, let him hear " (or understand). Again^ 



^2 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

"He that heareth you [the Apostles], heareth [or 
obeyeth] me." And people often say to a stubborn 
or stupid child, " Do you hear me 1" That is, Do you 
understand me? or will you obey met The case 
mentioned above is simply this : In the first instance, 
the nan-ator states that the men who accompanied 
Paul, heard a voice^ that is, were merely sensible that 
^some one spoke : whereas in the second instance, Paul 
declares they heard not the voice of him that spake 
imto him [Paul], that is. they comprehended not its 
meaning, or imderstood not what was said. And this 
explanation is fully sustained by some of our best 
modern translations, among which we may mention, 
"The Diaglott," "The Improved Version," and 
" Wakefield." In relation to the position of the parties,. 
it is easy to see that, in this connection, the words 
^* stood speechless " merely indicate a condition, and 
have no reference to posture. As man may stand 
speechless, stand in doubt, stand in fear, stand firm, or 
fitand in awe, and at the same time choose any position 
of body he pleases. He may be sitting, or standing, 
or lying do\vn, without impeaching the veracity of 
the narrator, who speaks of him as being in these 
conditions. It is clear that, in the text above referred 
to, the words " stood speechless " simply imply a con- 
dition of dumbness, and convey the same idea as if 
the author had said they remained speechless, or 
remained silent. 

02. Abraham Departed to go into Canaan. — And Abraham 
took Sarai his wife, and Lot, his brother's son . . . and they went 
forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they 
came. Gen. xii. 5. 

Abraham went, Not Knowing Where.— By faith Abraham, 
•when he was called to go out into a place which he should after 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 93' 

receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing 
whither he went. Heb. xi. 8. 

There is not a shadow of inconsistency here. The 
Lord called upon Abraham to leave his country, his 
kindred, and his father's house, and go into a land 
which he promised to show unto him. " So Abraham 
departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him." He 
: implicitly believed the words of Jehovah, and " went 
* out, not knowing whither he went." But the Lord, 
led him on, until he came into. the land of Canaan; 
and then " the Lord appeared unto Abraham and said,. 
Unto thy seed will I give this land : and there builded 
.he an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him." 
If Abraham knew when he went forth that it was^ 
the land of Canaan which the Lord designed to give 
him (as the sceptic basely insinuates), why was it 
necessary for the Lord to appear to him on his arrival 
there, and tell him that which he knew already ? 

We are weary of explaining propositions hke tha 
above, which are so simple that they need no solution; 
and were it that not the Httle work before us is con- 
sidered the " strong tower " of Lifidelity, we should, 
have thrown it aside, long since, in disgust. 

93. Abraham had Two Sons. — Abraham had two sons ; the- 
one by a bond-maid, the other by a free-woman. GaL iv. 22. 

Abraham had but One Son. — By faith Abraham, wlien he wa» 
tried, offered up Isaac ... his only begotten son. Heb. xi. 17. 

The only difficulty in this proposition is in the text. 
in the Hebrews, where Isaac is spoken of as the only 
begotten son of Abraham, while the patriarch 
was the father of another child, according to the 
flesh. But this apparent obscurity of expression is- 
at once removed by a careful reading of the text and 



^4 THE BIBLE TRIIBIPHANT. 

its connections. Please notice. " By faith, Abraham, 
when he was tried, offered up Isaac ; and he that had 
received the promises, offered up his only begotten 
«on, of whom it was said. That in Isaac shall thy seed 
be caUed." Hence we see at once that the text does 
not say that Isaac was the only son of Abraham, but 
that he was the '' only begotten son of whom [or, 
^oncerninc/ whom, according to Dr. Doddrige] it was 
said. That in Isaac shall thy seed be called." Still, 
Isaac might very properly be called the *'only begotten 
£on," in a legal point of view, as he was the only child 
of Abraham's lawful wife, the heir of his father's 
property, and the hen* of God's promises to Abraham's 
seed. 

94. Keturah was Abraham's Wife. — Then again Abraham 
took a wife, and her name was Keturah. Gen. xxv. 1. 

Keturah, was Abraham's Concubine. — The sons of Keturah, 
Abraham's concubine. 1 Chron. L 32. 

The boasted "contradiction" between these two 
texts vanishes, like dew before the sun, when exposed 
to the candid light of honest investigation. A close 
examination of Gen. xxv. 1, explains the matter 
olearly, for the word that is here rendered " wife," is 
in the Hebrew " ashawj' and its primary dclinition, 
as given by Gesenius, is, " A woman : female of any 
-age or condition, manied or unmarried." It is used 
in Cant. i. 8, in the expression, " thou fairest among 
women." It is apphed to unmarried females, in Gen. 
xxiv. 5, also in Isa. iv. 1. It is used as the name of 
the sex ; and is thus appHed to animals, to denote the 
female, in Gen. i. 2. Frequent is the phrase, " lakah 
lo leasliaw^ to take to one's-self a woman for a wife. 
See Gen. iv. 19, vi, 2. Spoken also of a concubine 



THE BIBLE TRItJMPHANT. 95 

-in Gen. xxx. 4, and in Judges. It is also a term of re- 
proach for a man who is weak, cowardly, or effeminate, 
as in Isa. xix. 16 ; Isa. iii. 12 ; Jer. li. 30 ; also Nah. iii. 
13.* This being the definition of the word, as given 
by the best authority we have, the text ceases to 
present even the semblance of a contradiction to 
1 Chron. i. 32. Even admitting that the word Ashaw 
•denotes a wife, in the above connection the difficulty 
-is obviated by a critical definition of the word con- 
cubine. It is thus defined by Webster : " A wife of 
inferior condition; a lawful wife, but not united to 
the man by the usual ceremonies, and of inferior con- 
-dition. Such were Hagar and Keturah, the concubines 
■of Abraham, and such concubines were allowed 
l3y the Roman laws." (See Webster's Unahmdged 
Dictionary.) Hence, the Infidel's case is rendered 
hopeless by the Hght of truth. 

95. Abraham begat a Son when he was a Hundred 
Years old, by the Interposition of Providence. — Sarah 
conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of 
which God had spoken to him. Gen. xxi. 2. — And being not weak 
in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was about 
an hundred years old. Rom. iv. 19. — ^Therefore sprang there even of 
.X)ne, and Mm as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky. 
Heb. xi. 12. 

Abraham begat Six Children more, after he was a 
Hundred Years old, Without any Interposition of Provi- 
dence. — Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was 
Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and 
Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. Gen. xxv. 1, 2. 

The sceptic does not even claim a contradiction 
here. Hence we have nothing to do. It was evidently 
inserted in the series before us simply to make the, 
number complete. His proposition, in itself, does not 

* See Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, page 92 and 93, 



96 THE BIBLE TRimiPHANT. 

present even a semblance of discrepancy. He says^ 
" Abraham begat a son, when he was a hundred yeara- 
old, by the interposition of Providence," in which 
statement he is well sustained by the Inspired Records 
He also says that " Abraham begat six children more,. 
after he was a hundred years old," etc., etc. Well^ 
what of it ? Where is the contradiction ? It is not 
even sui*prising, as a physiological fact, that he should 
become the father of other children, after he had 
<* received strength," and his youthful vigour had 
been miraculously restored. 

We have found many paopositions before this which 
were weak enough to excite either our pity or con- 
tempt, but this is surely the most insipid objection to 
the veracity of Bible wiiters that we have ever seen. 
What a system must infidehty be, when its votaries 
are driven to such foolish and contemptible objections 
to God's Word, in order to maintain its very existence^ 

96. Jacob bought a Sepulchre from Hamor— And th& 
bones of Joseph . . . buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground 
which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem^ 
Josh. xxir. 32. 

Abraham bought it of Hamor. — ^In the sepulchre tha* 
Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor, tha 
father of Sychem. Acts viL 16. 

We have the statement here quoted, that Jacob- 
bought " a parcel of ground " of the sons of Hamor, 
the father of Shechem, and again, that Abraham 
bought a "sepulchre" of the same party. And becauso 
the Jield which Jacob bought was used as a burial 
place, the Infidel endeavours to make it appear that 
it was identical with the sepulchre purchased by 
Abraham. Ono man bought a Jield and the other a 



I 



THE BIBLE TRIUaiPHANT. 97 

sepulchre, but they were purchased from the same 
party, therefore, the sceptic eagerly exclaims, " The 
Bible contradicts itself ^ This is evidently a very satis- 
factory conclusion for him to come to, but the mode 
of reasoning which he adopts is, to say the least, a 
little peculiar. The fact that two different parties 
make a purchase of land from the same individual 
certainly does not indicate that they both bought the 
same piece of property. It is probable that Jacob 
bought the Jfield surrounding the sepulchre purchased 
by Abraham, thereby enlarging the burial-place of his 
fathers. Still, the two pieces of property may have 
been many miles apart, without impeaching in the 
least the veracity of the sacred writer. 

97. God Promised the Land of Canaan to Abraham and 
Ms Seed forever. — And the Lord said unto Abram, after that 
Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes and look from 
the place where thou art, northward and southward, and eastward 
and westward ; for all the land wMch thou seest, to thee will I give it, 
and to thy seed for ever . . . Tor I will give it unto thee . . . Unta 
thee, and thy seed after thee. Gen. xiii. 14, 15, 17; Gen. xvii. 8. 

Abraham and his Seed Never Beceived the Promised 
Land. — And he gave him [Abraham] none inheritance in it ; no, not 
so much as to set his foot on. Acts vii. 5. — By faith he sojourned ia 
the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles 
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise . . . 
These all died in faith, not having received the promises. Heb. xi. 
9, 13. 1 

It is clear, from the covenant which God made with 
Abraham, that he was to inherit' the land of Canaan 
for ever. God assures him that he will give liim all 
the land between the two great rivers, Egypt and 
Euphrates, for an everlasting possession ; and he not 
only promised this land to Abraham,, but to Christ, 
as his seed. For Paul says, " To Abraham and his ' 

in 



98 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

seed were the promises made. He saith not. And to 
seeds, as of many, but as of one ; And to thy seed, 
which is Christ." Gal. iii. 16. Christ then was a 
party to the covenant, and must inherit the land with 
Abraham, for ever. The Infidel, however, finds what 
he claims to be a mistake, from the fact that Abraham 
did not receive the promised inheritance before his 
death. But the promise standeth sure; it is still 
gleaming in the temple of truth : and eternity will 
vindicate the justice and veracity of Jehovah. The 
patriarch did not expect to receive the promised pos- 
session in his natural lifetime : a mortal man could 
not receive an everlasting inheritance. 

Paul says of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that they 
** died in the faith, not having received the promises, 
but, having seen them afar ofi", were persuaded of 
them and embraced them, and confessed that they 
were pilgrims and strangers." They were looking 
on beyond the resurrection of God's sleeping children, 
— ^beyond the second coming of Jesus — to the age of 
millennial glory, when Messiah shall reign from sea 
to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth. 
Then shall the ancient worthies stand upon the glory- 
crowned hill-tops of a purified earth, and walk beside 
the crystal streams of Eden restored. The crown of 
immortal youth shall rest upon their brows, and they 
shall receive the inheritance which was promised to 
Abraham and his seed for an everlasting possession — 
where "the Kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the 
governor among the nations." A sceptic's eye can 
never reach the glories of the promised land, his mind 
can never appreciate the loveliness of a new-bom 
earth, where every knee shall bow, and every tongue 
confess the glory of the Lord. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 99 

God never indicated to Abraham that he was to 
Teceive the inheritance during his i^atural Hfetime ; 
l)ut the patriarch looked forward with joyful an- 
ticipation to the time when there should be given to 
Ihe Son of Man dominion and glory and a kingdom, 
ihat all people, nations, and languages should serve 
Mm ; for his dominion shall be an everlasting 
dominion, and his kingdom that which shall not be 
destroyed. Then, instead of the thorn shall come 
up the fir-tree, instead of the briar shall come up the 
myrtle-tree. Please see Dan. vii. 13, 14, 27 ; Ps. xxii. 
57, 28; Rev. v. 10; Matt. xix. 28; Luke i. 31, 32; 
Eev. xx: 4, 6; Ps. ii. 6, 10 ; Matt. v. 5; Rev. xi. 15. 

98. Goliath was Slain by Elhanan. — And there was again 
a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of 
Jaare-oregim a Bethlehemite, slew [" the brother of," supplied by the 
translators] Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like » 
weaver's beam. 2 Sam. xxi. 19. 

The Brother of Goliath was Slain by Elhanan.— And there 
-was war again with the Philistines ; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew 
Lahmi the brother of GoHath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like 
a, weaver s beam. 1 Chron. xx. 6. 

The variation in the two texts above quoted is 
easily accounted for, by considering that "ore^^w^," 
which signifies weavers^ has slipped out of one line 
into the other, and that " Beth ha lachmiy^ the Beth- 
lehemite, is corrupted from " eth lachmi " (Lahmi, the 
l)rother), then the reading will be the same as in 
Chronicles. Dr. Kennicott has made this appear very 
plain in his fii'st dissertation on the Hebrew text, 
page 78. Hence, it will be seen, that what the 
Infidel supposes to be a mistake of inspiration was 
merely the oversight of a transcriber ; and surely no 
one claims that either the transcribers or translators 



100 THE BIBLE TRroMPHANT. 

of the Bible were either inspired or infallible. We 
would remark further, that although the variation 
may be easily accounted for as above, and the texts 
harmonized upon the idea that the same giant is 
referred to in both places, still it does not necessarily 
follow that this is the case. For the Goliath which 
David slew had four sons, all of whom were giants, 
and bore the family name of their father. (See 
Winer). And it is not at all unlikely that Elhanan, 
a chief in David's army, may have slain more than 
one of them in battle. We can see no inconsistency 
between the statement that he slew " GoHath the 
Gittite," and the declaration that " Lahmi, the brother 
of Gohath the Gittite," fell also by his hand. 

99. Ahaziah Began to Reign in the Twelfth Year of 
Joram. — In the twelfth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of 
Israel, did Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, begin to reign. 2 Kings viii. 25. 

Ahaziah Began to Reign in the Eleventh Year of 
Joram. — In the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, began 
Ahaziah to reign over Judah. 2 Kings ix. 30. ^ 

The marginal note in the Bible contains as good 
an account of this chronological difficulty as can be 
reasonably required. " Then he began to reign as 
viceroy to his father, in his sickness" (2 Chron. xxi. 18, 
19). But in Joram's twelfth year he began to reign 
alone (2 Kings viii. 25.) See Dr. Clarke. 

100. Michal had No Child.— Therefore Miehal, the daughter 
of Saul, had no child unto the day of her death. 2 Sam. vi. 23. 

Michal had Fivo Children.— The five eons of Michal, the 
daughter of Saul. 2 Sam. xxi. 8. 

The marginal reading solves this problem also. It 
explains the text in 2 Sam. xxi. 8, as follows : " The 



THE BIBLE TRimiPHANT. 101 

£ve sons of Michal's sister, tlie daughter of Saul." It 
is evident that after the death of her sister, Michal 
took her five sons, " whom she brought up for Adriel " 
{the father of the children). Two of Dr. Kennicott's 
manuscripts have Merab, the sister of Michal, not 
Michal; the Chaldee has properly Merab, but it renders 
the passage thus : " And the five sons of Merab, which 
Mchal, the daughter, of Saul, brought up." With, 
this view, the whole difficulty vanishes at once. We 
have not, in this harmony, claimed infallibility for King 
James's translation. All we have proposed to do, was 
to show that one Bible writer has not contradicted 
another, or crossed himself. 

101. David was Tempted by the Lord to Number Israel, 
— ^Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he 
moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. 
2 Sam. xxiv. 1. 

David was Tempted by Satan to Number the People, 
— And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number 
Israel. 1 Chron. xxi. 1. 

The apparent contradiction between these two 
texts arises from inferring that the pronoun "he," in 
5 Sam. xxiv. 1, refers to Jehovah, instead of Satan, 
whom we are informed in the other passage was the 
tempter. The antecedent of the pronoun " he " is 
found in the margin, which reads, " Satan." Dr. 
Boothroyd renders the text, " The anger of the Lord 
was excited against Israel, because an adversary 
etood up and moved David," etc. Jehovah's dis- 
pleasure was evidently the effect, not the cause of 
this numbering of Israel, which Satan induced David 
to do, preparatory, doubtless, to engaging in some 
new contest which his ambition had in view. 



102 THE BIBLE TRIU3IPHANT. 

102. The Number of Fighting Men of Israel was 
800,000; and of Judah 500,000.— And Joab gave up the sum 
of the number of the people unto the king : and there -were in Israel 
eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword : and the 
men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. 2 Sam. xxiv. 9. 

Tlie Number of Fighting Men of Israel was 1,100,000 ; 
and of Judah 470,000. — ^And Joab gave the sum of the number 
of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand 
and a hundred thousand thousand men that drew the sword : and 
Judah was four hundred three score and ten thousand thousand men. 
that drew the sword. 1 Chron. xxi. 5. 

It is wiitten in 2 Sam. xxiv. 9, that " there were irt 
Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew^ 
the sword : and the men of Judah were five hundred 
thousand," but in Chronicles we find the number of 
Israel were eleven himdred thousand ; and Judah four 
hundred three score and ten thousand, making, to all 
appearance, a difference of ihi^ee hundred thousand 
IsraeHtes, and thirtj/ thousand Benjaminites. But it 
appears from Chronicles that there were twelve 
divisions of generals, who commanded monthly, and 
whose duty it was to keep guard near the king's 
person, each having a body of troops consisting of " 
twenty-four thousand men, which jointly formed 
a grand ai-my of two hundred and eighty-eight 
thousand ; and as a separate body of twelve thousand 
men attended on the twelve princes of the twelve 
tribes mentioned in the same chapter, the whole 
makes three hundred thousand, which is just the 
difference between the two accounts of eight hundred 
thousand, and of one milHon one hundi'ed thousand. 
And here we have found the natural solution of the 
difficulty. 

As to the men of Israel, the author of Samuel does 
not take notice of the thi'ee hundred thousand. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 103 

because tliey were in the actual service of the king, 
as a standing army, and therefore there was no need 
of numbering them; but in Chronicles they are 
joined to the rest, saying expressly, " All tliose of Israel 
were one million one hundred thousand." But in 
Samuel, where only eight hundred thousand men are 
recorded, it does not say " all those of Israel," but 
merely " and Israel were," etc. It must also be borne 
in mind, that exclusively of the troops before men- 
tioned, there was an anny of observation on the 
frontiers of the PhiHstiae's country composed of 
thirty thousand men, as appears by 2 Sam. vi. 1 ; and 
these it appears were included in the number of five 
hundred thousand of the people of Judah, which we 
find recorded in Samuel ; but the author of Chronicles, 
who mentions only four hundred and seventy 
thousand, gives the number of that tribe exclusively 
of those thirty thousand men, because they were not 
aU of the tribe of Judah. And therefore he does 
not say " all those of Judah," as he had said " all those 
of Israel " ; but he only says, " and those of Judah." 
Here both accounts are fuUy explained and harmon- 
ized, merely by referring to other portions of Scrip- 
ture treating on the same subject. Truly 

" God is His own interpreter, 
And He will make it plain." 

103. David Sinned in Numbering the People.— And 

David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people- 
And David said unto the Lord, / have sinned greatly in that I have 
done. 2 Sam. xxiv. 10. 

David Never Sinned, Except in the Matter of Uriah.— 
David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned 
not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his 
life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 1 Kings xv. 5. 



104 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

The one text in 2 Sam. xxiv. 10, presents David's 
confession of foolishness in the matter of numbering 
Israel. The Hebrew word here translated ''sinned," is 
Gahtahy and is defined by Gesenius thus : " To miss, 
not to hit the mark, spoken of an archer [see Judg. 
XX. 16], also of the feet, to miss, to make a false step, 
to stumble and fall. To sin, to forfeit, to bear the 
ioss of anything, etc." See Gesenius, page 307. 

Sin is a transgression of the law, and although it Ls 
evident that David did wrong, that he committed an 
error in his administration as King of Israel, still in 
this act he violated no command or law of God, 
either written or oral, of which we have any account. 

The other text teaches that David obeyed aU the 
commands of God, except in the case of Uriah, the 
Hittite, and we challenge the sceptic to find one com- 
mand or statute of God which David violated during 
Lis whole reign except this. 

104. One of the Penalties of David's Sin was Seven 
Years of Famine. — So Gad came to David, and told him, . . . 
Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land ? 2 Sam. 
xxiv. 13. 

It was Not Seven, but Three Years of Famine.— So 
Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose 
thee either three years' famine. 1 Chron. xxL 11, 12. 

In reference to this proposition, we will merely 
remark upon the well-kno'WTi fact, that, in Hebrew 
and Greek, numbers are expressed by the alphabetical 
characters. In Hebrew the letter zain signifies seven, 
while gimel denotes three, and the characters are so 
nearly ahke that any translator may be excused for 
mistaking them, unless the type, ink, and paper, were 
of the first quality, which certainly was not the case 



THE BIBLE TRimiPHANT. 105 

at tlie time King James' version was given to the 
public. 

In 2 Sam. xxiv. 13, tlie Septuagint reads, " Shall 
three years of famine," etc., being the same as in 
Chronicles ; and this is doubtless the true rendering. 

105. David took Seven Hundred Horsemen. — And David 
took from liim a thousand chariots and seven hundred horsemen. 
2 Sam. viii. 4. 

David took Seven Thousand Horsemen. — ^And David took 
from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen. 1 Chron. 
xviii. 4. 

The word going before horsemen, in 1 Chron. xviii. 
4, is Awlapli, and Gesenius gives to this word as the 
primary definition, "to join together, to associate, 
whence a thousand, a family. Not infrequently it is 
put for a large round number (Sec Job. ix. 3 ; xxxiiL 
23, also Ps. 1. 10). Put also for an indefinitely large 
Tound number (Gen. xxiv. 60). A family also, as the 
subdivision of a tribe, (Jud. vi. 15 ; 1 Sam. x. 19 ; 1 
Sam. xxiii. 23.) Spoken also of a city as the residence 
•of such a family (Mic. v. 1). See Gesenius* Hebrew 
Lexicon, page 59. 

Hence we infer that, while the number of horsemen 
■captured is explicitly stated in 2 Sam. viii. 4, it is 
spoken of indefinitely in Chronicles ; the word in this 
■connection meaning simply a large or round number: 
and probably the word itself might, with equal pro- 
priety, be rendered hundi-eds, or thousands ; but other 
portions of the Divine Record state the matter so ex- 
plicitly as to leave no doubt of being misunderstood. 

106. David Bouglit a Threshing Floor for Fifty Shekles 
of Silver. — So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 
£fty shekles of silver. 2 Sam. xxiv. 24. 



106 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

David Bouglit the Threshing Floor for Six Hundred 
Shekles of Gold. — So David gave to Ornan for the place six 
hundred shekles of gold. 1 Chron. xxi. 25. 

We find by a careful examination of these two 
passages that the wi-iter of the Book of Samuel 
mentions only what David gave for the thresliing flooir 
(a place only about six or eight yards wide) and the 
oxen and instruments of wood (verse 22), viz., fifty 
shekels of silver. But the writer of the book of 
Chronicles does not state the price David gave for 
these things, but informs us what he paid for th& 
wliole place (verse 25), that is, for the land upon which 
this threshing floor stood, viz., " six hundi'ed shekels 
of gold, by weight." And history informs us that 
this " place " was actually that which was afterwards- 
called Mount Zion, being about nine hundred yards 
in length, and six hundred in width. 

How easily eveiy objection to God's Word is re- 
moved by the clear hght of honest investigation. For 
eighteen hundred years this Httle volume has been 
exposed to the fire of the keenest criticism. Infidels 
of every age have sought to impeach its veracity 
and question its authority. The mythology of the 
Ehad has passed away ; the fables of the Shaster, the 
Talmud, and the Koran, have fallen before the lights 
of science and civilisation : but the Bible hes before 
us to day unscathed and untouched by man's puny 
efibrts. It is still the glorious day-star of eternal 
ti*uth, which guides the wandeiing feet of humanity 
through the wfldemess of time, and leads them ta 
the fair heights of the glory-clad moimtaiQS that 
arise beyond the tomb. It is the " Pillar Cloud " to 
the marching columns of God's httle ones — guiduig 
slowly, but guiding surely, to the sun-fit plains of 



TITE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 10 T 

peace and gladness that rest in the kingdom oF 
God. 

107. David's Throne was to Endure Por ever. — Once- 
have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed 
shall endure for ever and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be 
established for ever. Ps. Ixxxix. 35, 36, 37. 

David's Throne was Cast Down. — Thou hast made his glory 
to cease, and hast cast his throne down to the ground. Ps. Ixxxix. 44. 

Truly, " Thou hast made his glory to cease, and 
hast cast his throne down to the ground." But this 
statement, so far from being a mistake of the inspired 
penman, is confirmed by every historical record, and 
not only so, but the fact here spoken of is in itseir 
a fulfilment of prophecy. For, in reference to the 
last prince that reigned on David's throne, we read, 
"And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose 
day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, thu& 
saith the Lord God, Remove the diadem, take off the 
crown ; this shall not be the same ; exalt him that is 
low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, 
overturn, overturn it ; and it shall be no more, until 
he come whose rigJit it is ; and I will give it him." 
(Ezek. xxi. 25, 27). 

Hence we learn that it was decree d in the counsels 
of eternal justice, that the kin gdom of Israel should 
be overturned, and the crown removed ; and so it- 
must remain — not /or* evei\ but until he comes whose 
right it is, and God will give it him. 

Was there ever a prediction more clearly fulfilled ? 
Truly, the kingdom of Israel has been overturned hy 
the Gentile nations of earth. The foot of the bloody- 
Turk, the haughty Saracen, and the invincible 
Roman, have marred the glorious beauty of the land 



108 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

which was promised to Abraham, and given to Israel 
for an everlasting possession. 

The diadem no longer gleams upon the brow of 
holy kings. The sons of Israel are scattered among 
the tribes of earth, and the Holy Land — ^the birth 
place of our Saviour and Israel's sacred trust — ^that 
land which was hallowed above all others, has 
been made a bloody field of contest, where the 
armies of Em*ope have struggled for centuries. The 
temporal succession of her kings has ceased, Jeru- 
salem has become heaps, and Zion a desolation. The 
"seven times" of Israel's captivity has hung its 
palKng mantle over the throne and kingdom of 
David; and, according to the declaration of Jehovah, 
they must remain in ruins, until he comes whose rigid 
it isy and God will give it him. Hence, when the 
rightful heir appears, the throne will be restored 
and the kingdom . reinstated. And the beautiful 
prophecy of Isaiah reveals the personage who is the 
legal heir of David's royal line. "For unto us a 
child is born, imto us a son is given ; and the govern- 
ment shall be upon his shoulders ; and his name shall 
l)e called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The 
Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the 
increase of his government and peace there shall be 
no end, upon the throne of David and upon his 
kingdom, to order it, and to estabhsh it, with justice 
and mth judgment, from henceforth even for ever. 
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perfoiTQ this." 
(See Isa. ix. 6, 7). 

See also the Pentecostal sermon in Acts ii. 29, 34, 
which reads thus : " Men and brethren, let me freely 
£peak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is 
fcoth dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto 



THE BIBLE TEIUI^IPHANT. 109' 

this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing 
that God had sworn with an oath, that of the fruit of 
Ms loins, according to the flesh, he ivould raise up Christ 
to sit on his throneP And in the promise of the angel 
to Mary we find the words, *' He shall be great, and 
shall be called the Son of the Highest ; and the Lord' 
God shall give unto him the throne of his father David : 
arid he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; and, 
of his kingdom there shall be no end^ See also 1 
Chron. vii. 11, 22 ; 2 Sam. vii. 8, 26 ; Zech. vi. 12^ 
13; Jer. xxi. 27, 34; Ezek. xxxvii. 15, 28; Hos. iii. 
4, 5. Kead also, in connection wdth the above, the- 
iv. chapter of Isaiah, and Hebrews i. 8. 

Hence, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of the- 
Hebrew Scriptures, and the Christos of the Greek, is- 
the only legal heir of David's throne, and he has 
never yet been seated there. He is now upon the 
throne of God at the Father's right hand, expecting: 
till his enemies are made his footstool. See Heb. xii.. 
1,2; viii. 1; x. 12,14. 

A spiritual throne, erected in the heavens, could' 
not fill the promise ; for David never reigned there : 
no throne in heaven was ever overtarned or destroyed, 
and therefore can never be restored. " Behold the 
'days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise untO' 
David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and 
proaper, and shall execute judgment and justice in 
the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, and 
Israel dwell safely ; and this is the name whereby he 
shall be called. The Lord our Righteousness,^' (Jer. xxiii. 
5-8). Please see Psalm Ixxxix. 3,4; Amos ix. 11; 
Ezek. xlvii. 1, 12 ; Psalm xxii. 28. 

Therefore, when Jesus returns from the heavens 
and the long promised Millennium dawns upon earth;, 



110 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

-T^^hen Israel is brought back from Gentile bondage 
.and inherits the promised land; when Judah and 
Israel are no more two nations, and one king shall be 
king to them all ; when the glory of the Lord shall 
•be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together ; when 
the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor 
:among the nations ; when his glory shall cover the 
-earth, as the waters cover the deep ; then, indeed, wiU 
the tabernacle of God be with men, and the oath of 
Jehovah to David wiU be accomplished. 

Our space forbids anything but the briefest possible 
sketch of this glorious theme. We can only cite a 
Jew texts out of the multitude that sustain our position; 
but we trust that enough has already been said to 
convince even the mind of the sceptic of the beautiful 
Siarmony and perfect consistency of those passages of 
Holy Writ which he has heretofore supposed to be 
^t variance 'vvith each other. ' 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. Ill 



SPECULATIVE DOCTRINES. 



We now come to the department of our work 
which the Infidel is pleased to term " Speculative 
Doctrines." But if he had spent the same amount of 
time in studying the Scriptures that he has employed 
iu unfair compilations, if he were learned in the 
wisdom of God, he would know there was nothing 
" speculative " in the glorious truths which Jehovah 
lias revealed to man. 

108. Christ is Equal with God.— I and my Father are one. 
-John X. 30. — Who, bemg in the form of God, thought it not robbery 
to be eqval with God. Phil. ii. 6. 

' Christ is Not Equal with God. — My Father is greater than I. 
John xiv. 28. — Of that day and hour knoweth no man ; no, not the 
angels of heaven, but my Father only. Matt. xxiv. 36. 

John X. 30, is beautifully explained by the con- 
nection. Please read what Christ says in speaking 
of his disciples, verse 29 : " My Father, which gave 
them unto me, is greater than all ; and no man is 
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and 
my Father are one." (Greek ; one thing). " To snatch 
my ti-ue disciples out of my hand would be to snatch 
them out of my Father's hand, because I and my 
Father are one — one in design, action, agreement, 
and affection." (See Newcomh). Christ also prays for 
his disciples to become one, in the same sense that he 
and the Father are one. (See John xvii. 11, 21, 22). 
And certainly he never intended to pray that they 
might all become one person. See also Gal. iii. 28. 



112 THE BIBLE TRITDIPHANT. 

In Phil. ii. 5, we read : " Who being in the form of 
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; " 
that is, he did not regard it as an act of injustice to 
the Father, for him to exert on proper occasions, his 
mu-aculous powers. But King James' version is a 
little ambiguous here. McKnight renders the verse 
thus : " Who being in the form of God, did not think 
it robbery to be like God." Wakefield translates the. 
text as follows : " "V^^ho, though in a Divine foiTn, did 
not think of eagerly retaining this Divine likeness; 
but emptied [or divested] himself of it, by taking a 
servant's form ; and being hke other men, with the 
dispositions of a man, he became so obedient as to 
humble himself unto death, even death upon a cross." 
It must be borne in mind that the previous verses 
are an exhortation to humihty, and the lowly Jesus 
is here mentioned as an example to behevers. See 
also the Diaglott, and NewcomUs Improved Version, 
on this point. It is the uniform teaching of the New 
Testament that the Father is greater than the Son. 

109. Jesus was A^ Powerful. — All power is given unto me 
in heaven and in earth. Matt, xxviii. 18. — The Father loveth the 
Son, and hath given all things into his hand. John iii. 35. 

Jesus was Not All Powerful. — And he could there do no 
mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and 
healed them. Mark vi. 5. 

The " all power," spoken of in Matt, xxviii. 18, was 
the Gospel and miraculous power delegated to him 
by his Father. Mark vi. 5, the Diaglott gives as 
follows ; " And \ih was unwilling to do any miracles 
there, except a few sick persons he cured by laying 
his hands on them." See Matt. xiii. b^ ; Mark ix. 23.. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 113 

110. The Law was Superseded by the Christian Dis- 
pensation. — The law and the prophets were until John ; since that 
time the Kingdom of God is preached, Luke xvi. 16. — Having abolished 
in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in 
ordinances. Eph. ii. 15. — But now we are delivered from the law. 
Rom. vii. 6. 

The Law was Not Superseded by the Christian Dis- 
pensation. — I am not come to destroy [the law], but to fulfil. For 
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle 
shall in no wise pass from the law, till aU be fulfilled. "Whosoever there- 
fore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men 
so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matt. v. 
17, 18, 19. 

Verily, Christ came not to destroy the law. Ho 
did not come to violate the obligation men are under 
to have their lives regulated by moral precepts, or to 
dissolve the reference it has to things promised. But 
he says, " I am come to complete (pleroosai), or perfect 
and accomplish, every thing shadowed forth in the 
Mosaic ritual ; to Jill up its great design, and to teach 
my followers to fill up or complete every moral duty." 
Christ completed the law, which was in itself only the 
shadow or typical representation of things to come. 
He added to it that which was necessary to make it 
perfect, viz., the sacrifice of himself, '^vithout which it 
could neither satisfy God nor benefit man ; for it is 
to " the Lamb slain from the foundation of iho, world '* 
that its types and shadows refer. One jot nor one 
tittle would not pass from the law until all be fulfilled : 
one jot, or yod, is the smallest letter in the alphabet, 
and one tittle, or point, probably means ihos>Q points 
which served for vowels in the language, if they then 
existed ; if not they must refer to the apices or points 
of certain letters, such as resh, daleth, he, or cheth. 
The change of any of these into the other would 

[8] ..... 



114 THE BIBLE TRmMPHANT. 

make a most essential alteration in tlie sense ; or as^ 
the Rabbins say, "destroy the world." Hence the 
above expression of Jesus is full of emphasis ; and 
though all the forces of the universe should join 
together to prevent the accomplishment of the great 
designs of the Most High it is all in vain — not even 
the sense of a single letter shall be lost, for the words 
of Jehovah are unchangeable and immutable. 

" Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring 
lis unto Christ." Gal. iii. 24. Christ came not to 
destroy the law, but to fulfil it; and being fulfilled, 
its work is done. " For Christ is the end of the law 
for righteousness to every one that beheveth." Rom. 
X. 4. So that " Now we are dehvered from the law i* 
and the texts quoted in. the first part of the above 
proposition are not only in perfect harmony with 
]\Iatt. V. 17, 18, 19, but are the statements whereby 
it is confirmed. 

111. Christ's Mission was Peace. — And suddenly there was 
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and 
saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, Luke ii, 

li, 14. 

Christ's Mission was Not Peace. — Think not that I am come 
to send peace on earth ; I came not to send peace, but a sword. Matt. 
X. 34. 

At the time of the birth of our Saviour, a choir of 
angels chanted the words, "Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." 
But the Saviour himself says, " Think not that I am 
come to send peace, but a sword." Still, by referring 
to God's Word as a unit, — the great umpire of our 
investigations, — the harmony and consistency of its 
teachings are apparent. John xvi. 33, explains both 



THE BIBLE TRimiPHANT. 115 

passages. " These things have I spoken unto you, that 
in me ye might have peace ; in the world ye shall have 
tribulation." No language could make our propo- 
sition plainer. While the legitimate effects of Christ's 
precepts, when believed and obeyed, are peace to the 
filing and obedient, the natural enmity between, 
good and evil can never be subdued, until wrong 
'Ceases to exist. '* Therefore, being justified by faith, 
■we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus 
-Christ." Kom. v. 1. Chiist came to bring "the 
peace of God which passeth all understanding " to all 
who would beheve 'and obey the " Gospel of peace ;* 
tout he will sm-ely send a sword upon the enemies of 
God and the foes of his people. 

"I create the fruit of the Hps. Peace, peace to 
liim that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the 
Lord ; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like 
the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters 
-cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my 
€rod, to the wickedr Isa. Ivii. 19, 20, 21 ; xlviii. 22. 

112. Christ Received Not Testimony from Man. — Ye sent, 
miito John, and he bear witness unto the truth. But I receive not 
testimony from man. John v. 33, 34. 

Christ Did Receive Testimony from Man. — And ye also 
shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 
,<John XV. 27. 

The "witness" spoken of in John xv. 27, was that 
which his disciples bore to others, for they had no need 
to testify to Jesus, neither was it necessary for him 
to ** require " (see Wakefield) testimony from man, for 
lie had the testimony of God himself. He says, " But 
I have greater witness than that of John; for the 
^works which the Father hath given me to finish, the 



116 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

same works that I do, bear witness of me that the 
Father hath sent me. And the Father himself which 
sent me hath borne witness of me." See John v.. 
36, 37. 

113. Christ's "Witness of Himself is True. — I am one that 

bear witness of myself . . . Though I bear record of myseh, yet my 
record is ti-ue. John viu. 18, 14. 

Christ's Witness of Himself is Not True. — If I bear witness- 
of myself, my witness is not true. John v. 31. 

Bishop Pearce, Wakefield, and the Diaglott, trans- 
late John V. 31, interrogatively. They read, " If I bear 
witness of myself, is not my witness true?'' This 
version (which is sustained by the Greek, rather than. 
the other) obviates aU difiiculty. His own testimony^ 
that he was the Messiah, was perfectfy true, and might 
have been snfiicient for condemning a world of un- 
believers; but he also had the testimony of John, 
which he did not need, although he was an unim- 
peachable witness ; he also had the testimony of his 
disciples, and multitudes of others who had witnessed 
his miracles, but all human testimony was superfluous, 
for he had the witness of Jehovah himself. See John 
V. 36, 37 ; 1 John v. 9 ; iii. 2 ; x. 25 ; xv. 24 ; Matt, iii.- 
17 ; xvii. 5. 

114. Christ Laid Down his Life for his Friends. — Greater 
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his 
friends. John xr. 13. — The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 
John X. IL 

Christ Laid Down his Life for his Enemies. — Wlien we^ 
were enemies, wc were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. 
Rom. T. la 

During the life time of the Son of God, he made^ 
the follo^ving forcible remark : "Greater love hath 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 117 

-no man than this, that a man lay down his Hfe for 
liis fiiends." How true ! No man can carry his love 
for his friend farther than this; for when he gives up 
his life he gives all he has. And it is only in the 
rarest instances that such friendship has been known 
in earth's history. But when Jehovah's Son " poured 
out liis soul unto death," he laid down his Hfe not 
only for his friends, but he also died for Ids enemies ; 
thereby giving the universe an example of love to 
the world which was without precedent in the annals 
of mankind. 

115. It was Lawful for the Jews to put Christ to Death. 
— The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought 
to die. John xix. 7. 

It was Not Lawfxil for the Jews to put Him to Death. 
— The Jews, therefore, said unto him. It is not law ful iov us to put 
.any man to death. John xviii. 31. 

In Lev. xxiv. 14-16, we find that blasphemers of 
<jrod were to be put to death ; and the chief priests, 
having charged Jesus with blasphemy, voted that he 
deserved to die. But it must be remembered that 
the Jews were at this time subject to the Romans, 
and consequently they could not be allowed to 
administer capital punishment to criminals. Hence, 
-although they might have judged Jesus according to 
their own law (as Pilate bade them), they could only 
excommunicate or scourge him. 

The power of life and death was in all probabihty 
taken from the Jews when Archelaus, king of Judea, 
was banished, and Judea was made a Roman 
j)rovince ; and this happened more than fifty years 
before the destruction of Jerusalem. But the Romans 
sufiered Herod, mentioned in Acts xii., to exercise the 



118 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

power of life and death dm-ing his reign. See Calmet- 
and Pearce. 



116. CMldren are Piuiislied for tlie Sins of their Parents.. 
— I the Lord thy Grod am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the 
fathers upon the children. Ex. xx. 5. 

Children are Not Punished for the Sins of their Parents^ 
— The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father. Ezek. xviii. 20. 

Ex. XX. 5 is a declaration which accompanies the 
second commandment, in the decalogue given to 
Israel. 

Idolatry is the sin which God is denouncing. And 
after the Israelites had broken his law by worship- 
ping idols, the Divine protection was withdrawn,, 
and they were delivered up into the hands of their 
enemies ; for the gods in which they had trusted could 
not dehver them. Then they remained in bondage, 
and their children after them, to the third and fourth 
generations successively, as confirmed by every pai-t 
of Jewish history. And this became the grand, 
effectual and lasting means, in the hand of God, for 
their final dehverance from idolatry; for, after the 
Babylonish captivity, the Israelites never disgraced 
themselves with idolatry as they had formerly done. 
Hence it appears that Tia^io/iaZ judgments, which pass 
from generation to generation, are those referred to 
in the text above. Perhaps it also refers to natural 
laws by the violation of which one man or woman 
may impart disease to several successive generations. 
And, in relation to financial affairs, children often lose 
their patrimony and suffer with poverty, in con- 
sequence of the extravagance and folly of their' 
parents. Also in political crimes, the blood of nobihty 
is tainted by the rebellion of an ancestor, and the^ 



THE BIBLE TEIUMPHANT. 119 

clnldren can only be restored to their rightful position 
by an act of royal favour. But this law only refers 
to temporal existence, and has no bearing upon 
the reward or punishment which is to be bestowed at 
the resurrection. This point is beautifully exemplified 
in the eighteenth chapter of Ezekiel. Please read as 
follows, commencing at the fourth verse : — • 

" Behold all souls are mine ; as the soul of the father, 
so also the soul of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth 
it shall die, p. e. the second death, which is the doom 
pronounced upon the ungodly.] But if a man be 
just, and do that which is lawful and right . . . Hath 
walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, 
to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live^ [shall have 
the eternal hfe which is promised to the righteous.] 
But if he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of 
blood, etc., he shall surely die, [the second death.] Now 
lo, if he beget a son that seeth all his father's sins, 
which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not 
such , . .he shall surely live. Verse 20, The son shall 
not bear the iniquity of the father [in the future 
state], neither shall the father bear the iniquity of 
the son : the righteousness of the righteous shall be 
upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be 
upon /izw." 

It is probable that the first verse of the chapter is 
designed to correct a wrong impression in reference 
to the law, which was prevalent among the Jews, 
and not to convey the idea that the law itself was 
repealed. 

117. Man is Justified by Faith Alone. — By the deeds of the 
law there shall no flesh be justified. Kom. ill. 20. — Knowing that a 
man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus 
Christ. Gal. ii. 16. — The just shall lire by faith. And the law ia not 



120 THE BIBLE TRroMPHANT. 

of faith. Gal. iii. 11, 12. — For if Abraham were justified by works 
he hath whereof to glory. Rom. iv. 2. 

Man is Not Justified "by Faith Alone.— Was not Abraham 
our father justified by works ? . . Ye see then how that by works a 
man is justified, and not hy faith only. Jam. ii. 21, 24. — The doers of 
the law shall be justified. Eom. ii. 13. 

The only texts in the above proposition which seem 
to require any notice at our hands are the two last 
quoted, and they are beautifully explained by the 
context. Please read James ii. 20-24. " But wilt thou 
know, vain man, that faith without works is dead % 
Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works, 
when he had offered Isaac, his son, upon the altar ? 
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and hy 
works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was 
fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it 
was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was 
called the Friend of God. Ye see, then, how that by 
works, a man is justified, and not by faith only." We 
see, then, that Abraham's justification was dependant 
upon faith and works both. (See also Romans ii. 12-13.) 
" For as many as have sinned without law shall also 
perish without law : and as many as have sinned in 
the law shall be judged by the law, for not the 
hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers 
of the law shall be justified," etc. The last verse is 
parenthetical, and refers of course to those, and to 
those alone, who were under the law. It is thrown 
in to explain the preceding verse, and conveys the 
idea that it was not necessary alone to be hearers of 
the law, but they must also have been doers of it, in 
order to be justified when the great day of reward 
comes to the inhabitants of the earth. When the judge 
of quick and dead shall bestow the honours of 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 121 

eternity, those who Hved under the law and were 
faithful to its requirements shall receive a just recom- 
pense of reward. 

118. It is Impossible to Fall from Grace,— And I give unto 
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck 
them out of my hand. John x. 28. — Neither death, nor life, nor 
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things 
to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our 
Lord. Rom. viii. 38, 39. 

It is Possible to Fall from Grace. — But when the righteous 
tnrneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and 
doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, 
€hall he Hve ? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be 
mentioned ; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that 
he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Ezek. xviii. 24. — ^For it is 
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of 
the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and 
have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to 
<;ome, if they shall fall away, to renew them again nnto repentance, 
Heb. vi. 4-6. — For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the 
world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 
they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse 
■\\ith them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to 
have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, 
to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 2 Pet. iL 
50, 21. 

John X. 28 explains itself so clearly that it hardly 
needs a comment. He says, " I give unto them eternal 
Hfe, and [then] they shall never perish, neither shall 
^ny pluck them out of my hand." Of course, the 
promise that they shall never perish is contingent 
upon their reception of " the gift of God, which is 
eternal hfe through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. vi. 
23.) They must receive the eternal life promised to 
the righteous before they become imperishable, and 
that they cannot obtain until the coming age of glory^ 
when God shall be all in all. (See Mark x. 30.) 



122 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

Eternal life is promised as a reward to those who- 
by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory, 
and honour, and immortality. (Rom.ii. 7.) And the 
promise standeth sure ; for " Behold the Lord will come 
with stronghand, and his arm shall rule for him ; behold 
his reward is tvitk him, and his work before him." 
And so long as we remain faithful to the commands 
of God, so long as we abide in him, and he in us^ 
** Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall 
be able to separate us from the love of God, which 
is in Christ our Lord." But if "after they have escaped 
the pollutions of the world through the knowledge 
of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, they are again 
entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is 
worse than the beginning. For it had been better 
for them not to have known the way of righteousness, 
than after they have known it to turn from the holy 
commandment delivered unto them." Hence, it is. 
clear that nothing but our own unfaithfulness can 
separate us from the love of God. 

119. No Man is "Without Sin. — For there is no man that 
sinneth not. 1 Kings viii. 46. Who can say, I have made my heart 
clean ; I am pure from my sin? Prov. xx. 9. — ^For there is not a just 
man upon the earth, that doeth good and sinneth not. Eccl. vii. 2(^ 
— ^There is none righteous, no, not one. Rom. iii. 10. 

Christians are Sinless. — Whosoever is born of God doth not 
commit sin . . . he cannot sin, because he is born of God . . . Whoso- 
ever abideth in him sinneth not. He that committeth sin is of th& 
devil. 1 John iii. 9, 6, 8. 

It is certainly true, as indicated by the fii'st class 
of texts here quoted, that perfection doth not dwell 
with the children of men — that man, however pure 



THE BIBLE . TRIUMPHANT. 12Z 

and upright his motives and intentions may be, is- 
liable to err from the path of rectitude, and fail in the^ 
perfoi-mance of duty. But it is equally true that, 
*' Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, . . .- 
he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 

But we cannot be born of God until we are changed. 
When this mortal shall put on immortality, and this 
corruptible shall put on incoiTuptibihty, then mdeed 
shall Ave be born of God. (See John iii. 5-8.) And 
having lost the sinful nature, which Adam transmitted 
to his posterity, we shall be free from the possibihty 
of sinning. "Whosoever committeth sin is of the 
Devil." The Diaglott renders this text as follows, 
"He vfho practices sin is of the enemy." The idea is, 
that he who practices sin — sins wilfully and persist- 
ently, — ^is of the Devil. " Whosoever abideth in him, 
sinneth not ; " that is, he is not a constitutional sinner, 
he does not sin wilfully, or persistently. " If we sin 
[or err] we have an advocate with the Father, even 
Jesus Christ the righteous." There is a great difference^ 
between the errors and frailties which are inseparable 
from our fallen nature, and that wilful and determinate 
or reckless course which is pursued by many, in direct 
opposition to the known will and law of Jehovah. 

It must be borne in mind, in cases Hke the above, 
that one word frequently has several legitimate 
definitions, which may vary considerably from each 
other. Language is composed of words, and words 
are the mere representation of ideas. In proportion 
to the poverty of a language, that is, in proportion to 
the fewness of its words, must each word have a. 
variety of meanings. That this was particularly the 
case with the ancient languages, every one must 
know who stops to consider that each word (even in 



124 THE BIBLE TRIIBIPHAXT. 

the English tongue, which is so rich,) has a variety of 
significations. For instance, the "word "flesh" signifies 
a part of the physical organization, or human nature, 
or carnahty, or corrupt nature, or the present life, or 
legal righteousness, or tenderness, human feeling, 
kindred, stock, family, or the soft pulpy substance of 
fruit, etc. And the word "give" signifies to bestow, 
to impart, to communicate, to pay, to yield, to lend, 
to quit, to grant, to expose, to yield to the power of, 
to empower, to produce, etc. (See Webster.) And the 
word "sin" also has a variety of meanings, especially 
in the original. But when an Infidel meets with any 
of these, or other words of the same class in the Bible, 
although they may have a dozen other significations, 
he invariably annexes to them that meaning, and 
that only (provided they have one that can be thus 
construed), wliich will tend to impeach the holiness, 
the justice or veracity of Jehovah. To such lengths 
of injustice and dishonesty are they driven, to suppoii; 
their awful rebellion against the authority of the 
Most High ! 

120. There is to be a Hesiirrectioii of the Dead.— The 

trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised. 1 Cor. xv. 52. — And 
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, . . and they -vrere 
judged . . . according to their works. Rev, xx. 12, 13. — Now that 
the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth 
the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of 
Jacob. Luke xx. 37. — For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ 
raised. 1 Cor. xv. 16. 

There is to be No Resurrection of the Dead. — As the cloud 
is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave 
shall come vp no more. Job. vii. 9. — The dead know not anytliing, 
neither have they any more a reward. Eccl, ix. 5. — They are dead, 
ihey shall not Uve; they axe deceased, they shaU not rise. Isaiah 
xxvi. 14. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 125- 

The word of God is unifoi^m in its teaching, that 
''^The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be- 
raised." "For if the dead rise not, then is Christ 
not raised.'* In reference to Job vii., it will be seen 
by carefully reading the connection, that the whole 
cliapter is one of Job's laments during his sore afflic- 
tion, and pertains only to the present life, — the future 
1 state is not alluded to at all. It is merely the mourn- 
^ ful boundaries of the natural life, as they appeared 
to Job in his deep trial. The ninth verse reads: "As 
the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that 
goeth down to the grave shall come up no more ; " 
and if the resurrection were the subject under dis- 
cussion, and if this text were placed in the inspired 
volume without explanation, then indeed should we 
be left upon the ocean of time with no hope, and the 
cold starless night of oblivion would settle down 
upon the graves of those we love. But the next 
verse clearly explains the meaning of the author. 
It reads, " He shall return no more to his house ; neither 
shall his place know him any more." And hence we 
have found the solution of the whole matter ; the 
dead cannot return and mingle with the living, upon 
the shores of time, for they sleep in the dust. Truly, 
' the author of the Book of Job was far from being a 
Spiritualist ! 

Eccl. ix. 5 simply teaches that death is a sleep, and 
that the inhabitants of the grave " know not anything " 
until they are awakened out of their slumber, and 
aroused to consciousness, by the trump of the Arch- 
angel. (Please see Job xiv. 21 ; x. 13 ; Isa. Ixiii. 16 ; 
Psalm vi. 5 ; Ixxxviii. 10-12 ; xv. 17 ; Acts ii. 29^ 
34 ; ■ Isa. xxxviii. 18, 19 ; Dan. xii. 2 ; Acts vii. 60 ; 
Luke XX. 35; Acts xxiv. 21; xxvi. ^-^ -, 1 Cor. xv. 



126 THE BIBLE TRIUilPHAXT. 

17-19; Psalm cxlvi. 4; John v. 28-29; 1 Thess. iv. 
13, 17.) In relation to the clause, "neither have they 
any more a reward," it is only necessary to direct 
attention to the tense of the verh. The text does 
not say that they shall never have a reward, but 
simply that they do not have it while in the cold 
embrace of death; hence the declaration is in perfect 
harmony with every text in the Inspired Volume 
bearing upon this theme. For there is no reward 
promised the children of God, until the apocalypse of 
his Son from heaven. (See Matt. xvi. 27, and Rev. 
XX. 12.) 

The class spoken of in Isaiah xxvi. 14, is a class 
of tyrants of whom it is expressly said that God had 
visited and destroyed them. Then it is added, " They 
are dead, they shall not live ; they are deceased, they 
shall not rise." Here, evidently, they are spoken of 
in then position of *' lords," and in then- character as 
*' tyrants." It is not said they shall not hve or rise as 
persons ; but they shall not live and rise as rulers, to 
tyrannise over others. Their kingdoms are extinct, 
and so are they — as opposes sors. 

121. Reward and Punishmeiit to be Bestowed in This 
World. — Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earthj 
much more the wicked and the sinner. Prov. xi. 31. 

Reward and Punisliment to be Bestowed in the Next 

"World. — And the dead were judged out of those things which were 
written in the books, according to their Avorks. Rev. xx. 12.. — Thea 
he shall reward every man according to his works. Matt. xA-i. 27. 
— According to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 
2 Cor. V. 10. 

How true the statement, " The righteous shall be 
recompensed in the earth much more the wicked and 
the sinner." And the sceptic has not, nor can not 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 127 

quote a single text which does not perfectly harmonize 
"with the above. The other three texts, cited in hia 
proposition, bear upon the time of the judgment and 
reward, but they say nothing about the locality. The 
uniform teaching of God's Word upon this point is 
that the reward of the righteous and the punishment of 
the wicked are ahke to be bestowed upon this planet. 
See Matt. v. 5 ; Rev. v. 10 ; Dan. vii. 27 ; Psalm 
xxxvii. 9, 10, 11, 22, 29; Isa. Ix. 21; Prov. ii. 22'^ 
Dan. ii. 44 ; Luke i. 33. 

122. Annihilation, the Portion of all Mankind. — ^Wliy 
•died I not from the womb ? Why did I not give up the ghost when 
I came out of the belly ? . . . For now should I have lain still and 
been quiet ; I should have slept : then had I been at rest, with kings 
and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for them- 
selves ; or with princes that had gold, who fiUed their houses with 
silver ; or as a hidden, untimely birth I had not been ; as infants which 
never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling, and there 
the weary be at rest . . . The small and great are there, and the 
servant is free from his master. Wherefore is Ught given to him that 
is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul, which long for death and 
it Cometh not . . . which rejoice exceedingly when they can find 
the grave? Job iii. 11, 13-17, 19-22. The dead know not anything . . . 
For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the 
grave, whither thou goest. Eccl, ix. 5, 10.— For that which befalleth 
the sons of men befalleth the beasts, even one thing befalleth them : 
as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; 
so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast. . . All go unto 
one place. Eccl. iii. 19, 20. 

Endless Misery the Portion of a Part of Mankind.— These 
shall go away into everlasting punishment. Matt. xxv. 46. — And the 
devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, 
where the beast and the false prophet are, and shaU be tormented day 
end night for ever and ever . . . And whosoever was not found written 
in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Eev. xx. 10, 15. — 
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. 
Ixev. xiv. 11. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth 
shall awake, some to everlasting Ufe, and some to shame and ever- 
lasting contempt. Dan. xii. 2. 



128 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

The first class of texts here quoted refer to the- 
state of the dead between death and the resurrec- 
tion; and the second, although they refer to the 
destiny of the wicked, must be grossly perverted 
in order to sustain the Infidel's proposition, that 
" endless misery is the portion of a part of mankind.'' 
True, " These shall go away into everlasting punish- 
ment," but it does not say " everlasting torture ; " 
and the punishment here alluded to is defined in 2 
Thess. i. 9, to be " everlasting destruction.^' 

The next text under consideration is Rev. xx. 10, 
15, and says nothing about anybody except the 
devil, the beast and the false prophet, and hence has 
no bearing upon the destiny of mankind. It may 
be well, hov/ever, to remark that the Greek phrase 
in the above text, which is rendered " for ever and 
ever," is '^ eistous aionas ton aionon^' and signifies 
literally, " until the age of ages ; " hence it wiU be 
seen that even the punishment here alluded to is 
limited in its duration. 

And in relation to Rev. xiv. 11, it will be seen by 
the connection that it only refers to that special class 
of sinners who have been guilty of " worshipping the 
heast and his image ; " and the original reads here 
precisely as in the preceding text, and it should be 
rendered thus: "And the smoke of their torment 
ascendeth up until the age of ages : '* hence the 
conscious sufiering is here also limited. 

So far as Dan. xii. 2 is concerned, we cannot see 
that it bears upon the sceptic's proposition at aU, for no 
one will for a moment contend that it is necessary 
for any one to live for ever, in order to be the subject 
of '' everlasting contempt.'^ The records of liistory 
present many ignominious characters for the ever- 



THE BIBLE TRmMPHAXT. 129 

lasting contempt of posterity, who have slumbered 
in the dust for ages. A God of mercy has never 
threatened frail humanity with an eternity of torture ; 
his Word is a unit on this theme, as well as all others, 
and it declares that the wicked shall noo Hve forever. 
See John iii. 36; 1 John iii. 15; v, 11, 12; John vi. 
53 ; Deut. xxx. 19, 20. 

The declaration of Jehovah is that they shall die. 
BeeEzek. xviii. 4, 20, 24, 26, 31, 32 ; Rom. v. 21, 23 ; 
vii. 5 ; James i. 15 ; Rom, vi. 16 ; viii. 13 ; Rev. xxi. 
8; James V. 19,20. 

The Bible says the wicked shall perish. Please 
read Job xx. 4, 7 ; Psalm xcii. 9 ; Rom. ii. 12 ; Psalm 
xlix. 20 ; Psalm Ixxiii. 27 ; Pro v. xix. 9 ; Psalm 
xxxvii. 20 ; John iii. 14, 17 ; Luke xiii. 2, 5 ; Psalm 
ii. 10, 12 ; 2 Peter ii. 12. 

God's Word declares they shall he cut off. Psalm Iv. 
4, 5 ; xxxvii. 9, 22, 28, 34, 38 ; xciv. 23 ; Nah. i. 15 ; 
Prov. ii. 21, 22. 

The declaration of Jehovah is that they shall he 
destroyed. Job xxi. 23, 29, 30 ; Psalm cxlv. 20 ; Rom. 
ix. 22 : Psalm Iv. 23 ; v. 6 : Prov. xvi. 18 ; xiii. 13 ; 
Isa. i. 28 ; Prov. xiii. 20 ; Phil. iii. 18, 19 ; Rom. iii. 
15, 17 ; 2 TPeter iii. 16 ; Prov. xxix. 1 ; Matt. vii. 13 ; 
x. 28 ; Acts iii. 21 ; 2 Peter ii. 12 ; Psalms cxii. 7 ; 
xxxvii. 38 ; Ixxiii. 3, 17, 18 ; 2 Thess. i. 9, 10 ; Rev. 
xi. 18; IThess. V. 3. 

The Bible says the wicked shall he consumed. Zep h, 
i. 1, 2 ; Psalm xxxvii. 20 ; Isa. L 28 ; Psalm lix. 13 ; 
civ. 35. 

God's Word distinctly states that they shall be 
humed up root and hranch. Please read Matt. xiii. 30 ; 
iii. 12 ; John xv. 6 ; Psalm cxvii. 3 ; Isa. i. 81 ; xxxiii. 
14 ; Heb. vL 7, 8 ; Mai. iv. 13. 

in 



130 THE BIBLE TRIU^tlPHANT. 

And tliey shall be as though they had not been. See 
Psalm Iviii. 7, 11 ; Isa. xxix 20; xl, 12 ; Psalm xxxviL 
10; Obad.xv. 16. 

123. The Eartli is to be Destroyed. — The earth also and the 
•works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Pet. iii. 10. — They shall 
perish; but thou remainest. Heb. i. 11. — And I saw a great white 
throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the 
hQ&yenJledaway, and there was found no place for them. Eev. xx. 11. 

The Earth is Never to be Destroyed. — "Who laid the founda- 
tions of the earth that it should not be removed for ever. Ps. civ. 5. — 
But the earth abideth forever. Eccl. i. 4. 

That the earth is to endure for ever, and nnfold in 
its future history the glory of God, no one who has- 
studied the word of inspiration upon this subject will 
deny. The Infidel, however, finds what appears to 
him a contradiction of this plain doctrine of revela- 
tion in 2 Peter iii. 10 ; Heb. i. 11 ; Rev. xx. 11. But 
we shall endeavour to show that the apparent dis- 
crepancy is caused by the mist in the brains of the 
compiler. 

In reference to 2 Peter iii. 10, it does not require a 
very critical examination of the passage to ascertain 
its meaning. Please read the whole verse. " But 
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; 
in the which the heavens shaU pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall pieltwith fervent heat, and 
the earth also ; and the works that are therein shall be 
burned up." This is the obvious meaning of the 
text ; and the sceptic wiU please remember that 
punctuation is not inspiration, and therefore the Bible 
is by no means responsible for the manner in which 
man has punctuated it. 

The term " heavens and earth " is frequently used 
in the Scriptures to denote dispensationsy and tliero 



THE BIBLE TRIUJIPHANT. 131 

are three alluded to in the Bible : — the heavens and 
earth that existed before the flood ; the heavens and 
earth that exist at present ; and the new heavens and 
new earth which the Apostle looked for. Peter says, 
in speaking of the flood, " By the word of God the 
heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of 
the water and in the Avater, whereby the world that 
then was ferishedr But no one ^vill contend that 
the physical earth perished; the same hills and 
valleys now smile with verdure that were then swept 
by the restless waves of the flood. It was the out- 
Tv^ard order and constitution of things which existed 
in antediluvian times that were obhterated. And 
the fact that " we look for new heavens and new 
earth wherein dwelleth righteousness," by no means 
indicates the destruction of the physical earth, but 
merely that the order of things shall be changed; the 
heavens and the earth shall be renewed by the mandate 
of Jehovah. The earth shall not pass away, it shall 
continue, survive its baptism of fire, and exist through 
its regeneration, and when the curse is removed it 
shall smile iu more than Eden gladness, wliile the 
endless ages of eternity circle around the throne of 
Jehovah. Ps. cxix. 90 ; EccL i. 4 ; Ps. civ. 5. 

Time and space forbids a critical examination of 
this interesting theme, but we will remark, that in 
those passages which speak of the " end of the 
world," the word rendered worlds is either axon, 
which signifies a space of time, an age, an era, or a 
dispensation; or it is kosmos, which denotes the 
exterior order, arrangements, and political constitution 
of the earth ; and these surely terminate when Christ 
comes, and give pla<;e to the new dispeifsation of peace 
and glory which is to da^vn upon earth at his advent. 



132 THE BIBLE TRIIBIPHAXT. 

124. No Evil shall Happen to the Godly. — There sliall no 
evil happen to the just. Prov. xii. 21. — Who is he that "will harm yon 
if ye be followers of that which is good ? 1 Pet. iii. 13. 

Evil Does Happen to the Godly.-^Whom the Lord loveth he- 
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Heb. xiL G. 
— And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant 
Job, that there is none like him ... a perfect and upright man ? . . 
So went Satan forth . . . and smote Job with sore boils from the sole- 
of his foot unto his crown. Job ii. 3, 7. 

We fail to see any want of liarmony here. God 
has promised that no evil shall come npon the just,, 
"which is true; but he has seen it to be for his owii 
gloiy, and the good of man, to chastise his children ; 
not indeed to inflict for evil, but as an actual benefit. 
Heb. xii. 11. "Now no chastening for the present 
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless, 
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteous- 
ness unto them Avhich are exercised thereby." Aii 
earthly parent does not punish his child for the 
purpose of injuring it, but that it may be thereby 
benefited. How then should we look upon the chas- 
tisement of him who pitieth those who fear him, even 
as a tender father his children ? Hence the difficulty 
at once vanishes, and we only wonder that it should 
have been named as an objection. 

125. Worldly Good and Prosperity the Lot of the Godly- 
— There shall no evil happeil to the just. Prov. xii. 21. — ^For the- 
Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are pre- 
served, forever . . The wicked watcheth for the righteous and seeketlt 
to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn 
liim when he is judged . . . Mark the perfect man, and behold tlxe 
■upright ; for the end of that man is peace. Ps. xxxvii. 28, 32, 33, 37. — 
Blessed is the man that walkcth not in the counsel of the ungodly. 
Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Ps. i. 1, 3. — And the Lord was 
with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. Gen. xxxix 2. — Scf 
the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginnins- 
Jobxlii. 12 



THE BIBLE TIHUIMPHANT. 133 

"Worldly Misery and Destitution the Lot of tte Godly. — 

Thoy were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, were 
slaia with the sword : they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat- 
skins : being destitute, afflicted, tormented . . . they wandered in 
deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Heb. xi. 
87, 38. — Tliese are they which came out of great tribulation. Rev. vii, 
14. — ^Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer 
^persecution. 2 Tim. iii. 12. — And ye shall be hated of all men for my 
name's sake. Luke xxi. 17. 

Tliis proposition is so similar to the preceding one 
that it hardly needs a reply at our hands. We may, 
however, remark, that the persecutions which fall to 
the lot of man on account of his faithfulness to God 
are by no means to be considered as evils ; on the 
contrary, the admonition is to " rejoice and be ex- 
ceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.'^ 
The statement of Jesus is, that "in the world ye have 
tribulation, but in me ye have peace ;" and although 
the children of God may be stoned or sawn asunder, 
although they maybe destitute, afflicted or tormented, 
yet they have the assurance that " all things work 
together for good, to them that love God." 

It is certainly true, that " whatever the righteous 
man doeth shall prosper," but this is by no means a 
promise that the prosperity shall be immediate — he 
is casting bread upon the waters all through his hfe- 
pilgrimage; and, although he has the assurance that 
it shall be gathered after many days, he has no 
promise of seeing all the fruits of his labours this 
side of the kingdom of God. 

126. Worldly Prosperity a Howard of Righteousness 
and a Blessing. — There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, 
■or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my 
sake and the gospel's, but he shall receive a hundred fold now in this 
time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and 
lands. jNIark x. 29, 30. — I have been young, and now am old ; yet 



134 THE BIBLE TRITOIPHAKT. 

have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 
Ps. xxxvii. 25. — Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord. Wealth 
and 7-iches shall be in his house. Ps. cxii. 1, 3. — If thou return unto the 
Almighty, thou shalt be built up . . . Then shalt thou lay up gold as 
dust.^ Job xxii 23, 24. — In the house of the righteous is much treasure- 
Prov, XV. 6. 

"Worldly Prosperity a Curse and a Bar to Future Reward. 

— Blessed be ye poor. Luke vi. 20. — Lay not up for yourselves 
treasures upon earth . . . For -where your treasure is there ynU. your 
heart be also. Matt. vi. 19, 21. — ^And it came to pass that the beggar 
died, and Avas carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Luke xvi. 
22. — It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than 
for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. Matt. xix. 24. — 
Wo imto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 
Luke vi. 24. 

In relation to Mark x. 29, 30, it must be borne in 
mind that it was a declaration made to the apostles, 
and alluded to their itinerant mode of life. They 
sacrificed their private ease and comfort, and spent 
their time in travelling from house to house, to teach 
the Word of Life to their fellow men; and those 
among whom they laboured, being filled with the 
love of God, became their relatives in the household 
of faith, and more than this, they appreciated their 
labom', and divided their substance with them, so that 
then necessary wants were supplied as well as if it 
had been all their own. Hence they were commanded 
to " provide neither gold, silver, nor brass in your 
purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, 
neither shoes, nor yet staves" (Matt. x. 9, 10.) 
It must be remembered, however, that it was Avith 
them as with all true children of God, whatever 
they received in this age, they received " with 
persecutions." Psalm xxxvii. 25 is an expres- 
sion indicative of God's love and care for his 
cjluldren Truly, wealth and riches are in the house 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 135 

of the man who feareth the Lord: but this does not 
necessarily imply that he shall be possessed of the 
gold and silver of earth. If he has the "pearl of great 
price," he is possessed of untold wealth, without the 
riches of the world ; for " in the house of the righteous 
is much treasure." Job xxii. 23, 24, is a statement 
made by EJiphaz to Job : and was it not Hterally 
true? Job was rich in earthly goods before his 
temptation, and we read that " The Lord blessed the 
latter end of Job more than the beginning." 

The only Text in the latter part of the proposition 
which seems to require any explanation at our hands 
is Matt. xix. 24. And of this it is only necessary to 
state, that the expression, " It is easier for a camel to 
go through the eye of a needle," was a common 
saying among the Jews to denote anything extremely 
rare and difficult. (See Lightfoot and Bagster.) And 
it must be evident to every observer, that it is much 
harder for a rich man to gain the inheritance of the 
saints than for the poor, from the fact that it seems 
almost impossible to possess the riches of earth and 
not set the affections upon them. There are so many 
temptations in their path, and the rich are apt to 
either become miserly, or give themselves up to the 
gratifications of the lust of the eye and the pride of 
life ; and it is this class to whom it is said, " Woe unto 
you that are rich ! " But this by no means applies 
to those (of whom earth can still boast a few) who, 
considering themselves the stewards of God, use 
their means to his honour and glory. 

127. The Christian Yoke is Easy. — Come unto me, all je 
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my 
yoke upon you . . . For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 
Matt, xi 28-30. 



136 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

The Christian Yoke is Not Easy.— In the vrorld ye shall 
have tribulation. John xvi. 33. — ^Yea, and all that wiU hve godly in 
Christ Jesus shall su^er persecution. 2 Tim. iii. 12. — AVhom the Lord 
loreth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth . . . 
For if ye be without chatisement, then ye are bastards, and not sons. 
Heb. xiii. 6, 8. 

These texts are beautifully explained by a single 
passage, " In me ye might have peace : in the world 
ye shall have tribulation." Truly, the yoke of Christ 
is easy, and his burden is light ; but we have the 
promise of persecution and tribulation in the world. 

128. The Fruit of God's Spirit is Love and Gentleness. 
— ^The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness. GaU 
V.22. 

The Fruit of God's Spirit is Vengeance and Fury .—And 
the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, . . and he slew a thousand men. 
Jud. XV. 14, 15. — And it came to pass on the morrow that the evil spirit 
from God came upon Saul . . . and there was a javeUn in Saul's hand. 
And Saul cast the javelin ; for he said, I wiU smite David even to the 
wall with it. 1 Sam. xviii. 10, 11. 

This proposition may also be clearly explained by 
a few words. It is certainly true that the legitimate 
fruits of God's Spuit are "love, joy, peace, gentle- 
ness, goodness;" but it must also be borne in mind 
that Jehovah is possessed of the spuit of justice, and 
it is justice alone which his enemies have to fear. It 
is the spint of justice alone which dictates his decrees 
of destruction or desolation, to those who openly 
defy his power and blaspheme his name. 

129. Longevity Enjoyed by the Wicked.— Wherefore do 
the wicked hve, become old, yea, are mighty in power ? Their seed is 
estabhshed in their sight with them, and their offspring before their 
eyes. Job xxi. 7, 8. — They [men of the world] are full of children, 
and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. Ps. xvii. 14. 
—Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 137 

yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God. 
Eccl. viii. 12. — But the sinner being a hundred years old shall be 
accursed. Is. Ixr. 20. 

Longevity Denied to the Wicked. — But it shall not be well 
•with the wicked ; neither shall he prolong his days. Eccl. viii. 13. — 
Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. Ps. Iv. 23. 
— The years of the Avicked shall be shortened. Prov. x. 27. — They 
[the hypocrites] die in youth. Job xxx\d. l-i. — Be not over much 
wicked, neither be thou fooHsh ; why shouldest thou die before thy 
time ? Eccl. vii, 17. 

Although the wicked may, in this age, live even 
longer than the righteous, it may truly be said of them 
that they shall not prolong their days, that they shall 
not Hve out half their days, that their years shall be 
shortened, that they die in youth, and die before their 
time, inasmuch as they cannot receive the eternal life 
Tvhich is promised to the righteous. And surely the 
longevity of man in this age, is but a span, when 
compared with the endless ages of eternity. (See 
Proposition 112.) 

130. Poverty a Blessing. — Blessed be ye poor . . . Woe unto 
you that are rich ! Luke vi. 20, 24. — Hath not God chosen the poor of 
this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom. Jam. ii. 5. 

Riclies a Blessing. — The rich man's wealth is his strong tower, 
but the destruction of the poor is their poverty. Prov. x. 15. — If thou 
return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up . - . Then shalt thou 
lay up gold as dust. Job xxii. 23, 24. — So the Lord blessed the latter 
end of Job more than Ms beginning ; for he had fourteen thousand 
sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a 
thousand she asses. Job xlii. 12. 

Neither Poverty Nor Riclies a Blessing. — Give me neither 
poverty nor riches ; feed me with food convenient for me ; lest I be full 
and deny thee and say. Who is the Lord ? or lest I be poor, and steal, 
and take the name of my God in vain. Prov. xxx. 8, 9. 

We think this subject has been clearly explained 
at some length under the 126th proposition. We will. 



133 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

however, briefly notice. Pro v. x. 15, which, by the 
way, the Infidel has not quoted correctly, the Bible 
reading as follows : " The rich man^s wealth is his 
strong city,^ which teaches that those who are rich 
generally put their trust in their riches, instead of 
trusting in the Lord of the whole earth. This is 
illustrated by Psalms Hi. 7 : " Lo, this is the man that 
made not God his strength; but trusted in the 
abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in 
his wickedness." 

See also Prov. xviii. 11 : " The rich man's wealth is 
his strong city , ... in his own conceit^ Surely 
nothing can make the subject plainer than this single 
text. We read also in Job xxxi. 24, 28: " If I have 
made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, 
Thou art my confidence . . . This also were an 
iniquity to be punished by the Judge." We learn, there- 
fore, that while wealth is an actual blessing to those 
who use their money to the honour and glory of God; 
it is a terrible curse to those who hoard their means 
with miserly care, or consume it upon the vanities of 
earth. 

131. "Wisdom a Source of Enjoyment.— ^ajjpj^ is the man 
that findeth wisdom . . . Her [wisdom's] ways are ways of pleasant- 
ness and all her paths are peace. Prov. iii. 13, 17. 

Wisdom a Soucre of Vexation, Grief and Sorrow. — And 
I gave my heart to know wisdom ... I perceived that this also is 
vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that 
increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Eccl. i. 17. 18. 

It is evident that there are two different kinds of 
wisdom here referred to ; and the matter is so clearly 
explained by the inspired James that we cannot do 
better than to refer this proposition entirely to him. 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 139' 

Please read : " Who is a wise man and endued with 
knowledge among you I Let him show out of a- 
good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom* 
But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your 
hearts, glory not, and he not against the truth. This 
wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, 
sensual, devihsh .... But the wisdom that is from 
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be 
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without 
partiality, and without hypocrisy." (James iii. 13, 17.) 
Surely, no explanation of ours can make the matter 
plainer. 

132. A Good Name a Blessing. — A good name is better than 
precious ointment. Eccl. vii. 1. — ^A good name is rather to be chosen 
than great riches. Prov. xxii. 1. 

A Good Name is a Curse. — ^Woe unto you, when all men shall 
speak well of you. Luke vi. 26. 

Surely, " A good name is better than precious 
ointment," and "rather to be chosen than great 
riches;" but we must consider what kind of a 
name would be called good by the great " Father of 
lights." To have the good name here spoken of, ar 
man must maintain a character of strict honour and 
integrity; he must be known to the world as the 
unflinching advocate of the right, as the vindicator 
of the oppressed, and the benefactor of the needy ; 
then, indeed, he will have a good name. Still he 'will' 
be despised by the worldly-wise, and hated by the 
enemies of God and his truth. " If ye were of the 
world, the world would love its own ; but because^ 
ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you 
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.'*' 
(John XV. 19.) 



140 THE BIBLE TmUMPHAXT. 

And well may there be a woe pronotmced against 
those concerning -^hom all men will ^eak well ; for 
popularity among the masses can only be obtained by 
those who sacrifice principle for fame, who will sell 
honour for applause, and wear the face of flattery, — 
those who forfeit tnith for renown, and pamper the 
faults and follies of mankind. And it is upon such 
unpiincipled, fawning sycophants of the world's 
favour, that the woes and judgments of God are 
pronounced. 

133. "LanghteT Commended. — To evervthing there is a season, 
. . a tiine to "weep, and a time to lar:g?u EccL iiL 1, 4. — Then I com- 
mended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, 
than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry. EccL viiL 15. 

Iiaugh.ter Condenmed. — ^Woe unto jou that laugh no\r ! Luke 
vL 25. — Sorrow is better than laughter ; for by the sadness of the 
countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the vrise is in the 
house of mourning : but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 
EccL viL 3, 4:. 

In the first two texts here quoted, innocent mirth 
is commended : they are a reconunendation of a 
moderate use of worldly things, with a cheerful and 
contented mind. But Luke vi. 25 alludes to the foohsh. 
mirth of rioting and dissipation. (See Prov. t. 4; sdv. 
15 ; Eccl. ii. 2.) " For as the crackling of thorns 
under a pot, so is the laughter of a fooL'' (Eccl. viL 
6.) The case of distinction between the two is only 
equalled by the absurdity of the objection. 

134. The Rod of Correction a Bemedy for Foolishness, 
— ^Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correctuHi 
shall drive it far from him. Pror. yyii. 15. 

There is No Remedy for Foolishness. — Though thou shouldest 
bray a fool in a mortar . . . jet frill not his foolishness depart frcnn 
him. Prcv. zxvn. 22. 



THE BIBLE TRIU5IPHANT. 141 

It requires but little discrimination to see the 
harmony of the two texts above quoted. The first 
is certainly tme ; and that the last is equally so ive 
know from eocperience. The rod of correction will 
drive foolishness from the heart of a child ; but you 
may bray a /oo^ in a mortar, and yet his foolishness 
will not depart from him. Cannot the sceptic dis- 
tinguish the difference between a child and a. fool f 
Although the above proposition exhibits evident 
symptons of madness, it certainly cannot be said of 
its author that " much learning hath made him madJ^ 

135. A Fool Should be Answered According to his 
PoUy. — Answer a fool according to his folly. Pro v. xxvi. 5. 

A Fool Should Not be Answered According to his Folly, 
Answer not a fool according to his folly. Prov. xxvi. 4. 

The following from Bishop Warburton on this point 
is so satisfactory that we will quote it entire. " Had 
this advice been given simply, and without circum- 
stances to answer the fool, and not to answer him, 
one will suppose that the different directions referred 
to the doing a thing in and out of season, but the 
matter is clearly explained. 1. The reason given 
why a fool should not be answered according to his 
folly is, lest he (the answerer) should be hke unto him. 
2. The reason given why the fool should be answered 
according to his folly is, lest he (the fool) should be 
wise in his own conceit. 1. The cause for forbidding 
to answer, therefore, plainly insinuates that the de- 
fender of rehgion should not imitate the insulter of 
it, in his modes of disputation, which may be com- 
piised in sophistry, buffoonery and scurrihty, 2. 
The cause assigned for directing to answer, etc., as 
plainly intimates, that the sage should address himself 



142 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

lo confute the fool upon his own false principles, by 
showing that they led to conclusions very wide from, 
^nd very opposite to, those impieties he^ would deduce 
from them. If anything can allay a fool's vanity, and 
prevent his being wise in his own conceit, it must be 
i;he dishonour of having his own principles turned 
against himself, and shown to be destructive to his 
own conclusions." (Treatise on Grace, Preface.) 

136. Temptation to be Desired. — My brethren, cjount it all 
joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Jas. L 2. 

Temptation Not to be Desired. — ^Lead us not into temptation. 
Jd:att. vi. 13. 

Matt. vi. 13, literally translated from the Greek, 
Teads as follows : " Abandon us not to temptation, but 
preserve us from evil ; " and the evident idea of the 
petition is, that God will not forsake his children while 
€truggHng with temptation, but strengthen and aid 
them by his grace, that they may be able to endure, 
instead of yielding to it. (See 1 Cor. x. 13.) " There 
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common 
to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you 
to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will, with 
the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye 
may be able to bear it." Hence, James i. 2, is exactly 
in point : "My brethren count it all joy when ye fall 
into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying 
of your faith worketh patience ; " for " Blessed is the 
man that endm*eth temptation ; for when he is tried, 
he shall receive the crown of Hfe, which the Lord 
iiath promised to them that love him." (See v. 12.) 
We can conceive of nothing more beautifully har- 
monious than these texts are, when allowed their 
proper weight and meaning. 



THE BIBLE TRIIBIPHANT. 143 

137. Propliecy is Sure. — "We have also a more sure word of 
prophecy, where unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light 
that sliineth in a dark place. 2 Pet. L 19. 

Prophecy is Not Sure. — At what instant I shall apeak con- 
cerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull 
down, and to destroy it ; if that nation against whom I have pro- 
nounced turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought 
to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a 
nation and concerning a kingdom to build and to plant it ; if it do 
evil in my sight that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the 
good wherewith I eaid I would benefit them. Jer. xviii. 7-10. 

Nothing can be surer than the prophecies of 
Jehovah; events which he has foretold through his 
prophets are just as certain as those which have 
aheady taken place : and in this consists one of the 
strongest bulwarks of the Christian rehgion. Infidels 
have madly attacked the prophecies of the Bible ; but 
the massive walls of truth are so impregnable that 
their oft-repeated blows have scarcely produced an 
-echo. 

The idea that Jer. xviii. 7-10, conflicts with the 
foregoing position, on the certainty of the fulfillment 
of prophecy, cannot for a moment be sustained. While 
Peter is speaking of prophecy alone, Jeremiah refers 
to nothing but promises and threatenings, which are 
not prophecies. Divine government is based upon the 
principles of eternal justice. God may have threatened 
■to pluck up and destroy a nation for its sins ; but his 
promise is, that if that nation turn from its evil the 
hand of Infinite Mercy will arrest the threatened 
judgment ; but if, on the contrary, he has prepared to 
build up a nation, and it does evil in his sight, and 
proves unworthy of this care, the voice of justice 
decrees that they shall not receive the benefits which 
they have forfeited. Hence, the judgments and pro- 



144 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

mises to the nations of the earth are conditional, but 
the sure word of prophecy is unalterable. 

138. Man's Life was to be One Hundred and Twenty 
Years. — His days shall be a hundred and twenty years. Gen. vi. 3. 

Man's liife is but Seventy Years. — The days of our years 
ure three -score years and ten. Ps. xc. 10. 

It is claimed that there is a discrepancy existing 
between Gen. vi. 3 and Ps. xc. 10, — the foiTaer 
promising a hfe of one hundred and twenty years, and 
the other a Hfe of only seventy. A satisfactory solution 
of this apparent difficulty is found in the fact that 
Gen. vi. 3 has specific reference to the generation, 
immediately preceding the flood, whose probation 
was to contmue for just that length of time. It was 
just one hundred and twenty years from the time 
that God revealed his purpose to Noah, until the 
destruction of that generation. Hence this text is 
purely of a local chai'acter, and refers to that period 
alone. 

139. The Fear of Man was to be upon Every Beast.— 
The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of 
the earth. Gen. ix. 2. 

The Fear of Man is Not upon the Lion.— A lion tumeth 
not away for any. Prov. xxx. 30. 

There are but few things better calculated to try 
the patience of the honest investigator than objections 
to God's Word hke the one given above, for every 
piinciple of honour and candor is here grossly violated 
In quoting Prov. xxx. 30, the sceptic has wilfully 
omitted the explanatory passage: we say wilfully 
because the design is so evident that we cannot impute 
it to ignorance. Please read the whole verso: "A 



THE BIBLE TRHBIPHANT. 145 

lion, which is strongest among beasts, andtumeth not 
away for any." Hence we learn the true idea of the 
text, i.e., that the Hon turneth not away for ani/ 
beast But we find in. the above proposition that the 
explanatory clause is left out without even the sign 
of omission, and we ask our readers, in all candor, 
what must be the character of the cause which 
requires such perversions of God's Word in order to 
sustain it ? What claim can a man have to our con- 
fidence or respect who thus blasphemes the God of 
the Universe by wilfully perverting his words? 

140. Miracles a Proof of Divine Mission.— Now when 
John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his 
disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we 
look for another ? Jesus answered and said unto them. Go and show 
John again those things which ye do hear and see : the blind receive 
their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf 
hear, the dead are raised. Matt. xi. 2-5.— Rabbi, we know that thou 
art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that 
thou doest, except God be with him. John iii. 2. — And Israel saw tliat 
great work Avhich the Lord did upon the Egyptians ; and the people 
feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses. Ex. 
xiv. 31. 

141. Miracles Not a Proof of Divine Mission. — And 

Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and 
it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the 
sorcerers : now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner 
vith their enchantments, for they cast down every man his rod, and 
they became serpents. Ex. vii. 10-12. — If there arise among you a, 
prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 
and the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, 
saying. Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and 
let ua serf e them ; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that 
prophet or that dreamer of dreams. Deut. xiii. 1-3.^ — If I by Beelzebub 
cast oitt deviU, by whom do your children cast them out? Luke vi. 19. 

In relation to Ex. vil. 10> 12, it seems only necessary 
to reroark, that as Egypt was remarkably addicted ta 

[10] 



146 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

magic, sorcery, etc., it was necessary that God should 
permit Pharaoh's wise men to act, to the utmost of 
their skill. They were to indicate the work of God, 
that his superiority might be clearly seen, and the 
credibihty of his servants established beyond a doubt ; 
and this was fully done when Aaron's rod swallowed 
up their rods. Why did not the Infidel quote this 
portion of the Divine testimony also ! Evidently 
because this would have paralyzed the idea which he 
was endeavouring to convey. 

Dent. xiii. 1-3, is a warning against false prophets 
and dreamers, or those who pretend that they have 
received supernatural instniction in their night 
visions; hence the text has no bearing whatever 
upon miracles. 

The next text is a misquotation ; it is found in 
Matt. xii. 27, instead of Luke vi. 19. Dr. Adam 
Clarke remarks upon this subject as follows : — 

Children, or sons of the prophets, mean the disciples 
of the prophets; and the children, or sons of the 
Phaiisees, disciples of the Pharisees. From Acts 
xix. 13, 14, it is perfectly evident there were exorcists 
among the Jews, and from our Lord's saying here, 
it is also evident that the disciples of the Phari- 
sees did cast out demons; or, at least, those who 
educated them wished to have it believed that they 
had such a 'power. Our Lord's argument here is ex- 
tremely conclusive : if the man who cast out demons 
proves himself thereby to be in league with and in- 
fluenced by Satan, then your disciples, and you who 
taught them, are all of you in league with the devil ; 
you must either give up your assertion, that I cast 
demons by Beelzebub, or else admit this conclusion, 
in its fullest force and latitude, that ye are all children 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 147 

of tbe devil, and leagued with him against God. In 
order to be a proof of a divine mission, a miracle 
iimst have the approval of the Deity, and no miracle 
will be approved of him, which does not recognize 
liim as its author." 

142. Moses was a Very Meek Man. — Now the man 
Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face 
•of the earth. Num. xii. 3. 

Moses was a Very Cruel Man. — And Moses said unto them,. 
Have ye saved all the women alive ? . . . Now, therefore, kill every 
«nale among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath knowa 
tnan. Num. xxxi. 15, 17. 

Truly, " Moses was very meeh, above all the men 
that were upon the face of the earth." He was a 
humble and faithful servant of the Most High ; and as 
«uch he executed the commands of Jehovah. In 
relation to the Midianites, it is only necessary to state 
that God himself commanded their extermination. 
Moses was not the cause of it. He only executed the 
commands of God, and was accountable to him 
^alone. Hence, the part that he bore in the matter 
has no bearing upon his character ; and although he 
ina}^ have been unwilHng to inflict pain or death 
upon the criminals, he could vindicate the justice 
of Jehovah in the act. Surely, a good reason is 
given for slaying the women of Midian. Please 
read the connection : " And Moses said unto them, 
have ye saved all the women alive? Behold these 
^caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of 
Ealaam, to commit trespass against the Lord, in the 
matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the 
congregation of the Lord." (See Num. xxv. 2; 
xxiv. 14; 2 Pet. ii. 15; Rev. ii. 14; Num. xxv. 9.) 



148 THE BIBLE TRUHIPmvXT. 

In relation to the killing of tlie male children, we- 
-will merely remark that it was a thousand time& 
better for them and for the world that they should 
be cut off in infancy, than grow up in rejection, 
of God, and in the wilful idolatry of the Midianites. 

The sceptic is very sensitive upon the subject of 
God's judgments against the transgressors of his- 
laws. 

143. EHjah Went up to Heaven. — And Elijah went up b^ 

a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings ii. 11. 

None But Christ Ever Ascended into Heaven. — No man 

hath ascended vp to heaven but he that came down from heaven, evea 
the Son of Man. John iii. 13. 

In John iii. 13, it is evident that the expression, 
'•'ascended up to heaven," signifies to search into, and fo 
understand the coujiselofGod. (SeeAewcombejUajyheliuSy 
and Dr, Doddridge.) The same idea is conveyed in 
Deut. XXX. 12, in the expression, " Who shall go up 
for us into heaven, and bring it [the word] unto us, 
that we may hear it, and do it ? " Also ia Eom. x. 
6, " Say not in thme heart, Who shall ascend into 
heaven ? " And ia Prov. xxx. 4, " ^Mio hath as- 
cended up into heaven." The statement has nv> 
reference to a physical ascension, but obviously refers 
to that moral excellence and di\dne knowledge, 
possessed alone by the Son of God. Hence, the 
literal ascension of Ehjah, by no means mihtates 
against the statement of John concermng the- 
Messiah. 

144. All ScriptuT© is Inspired, — AU ScHptitre is^ girwi hy 
inspiration of God. 3 Tim. iiL 16. 

Some Scripture is Not Inspired. — But I speak this hy 
pcnniMioo, and sot of commandment. X Cor. rii. 6. — But to the n^b 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 149 

•speak I, not the Lord. 1 Cor. vii. 12. — That which I speak, I speak 
it not after the Lord. 2 Cor. xi. 17, 

In the sentence, "All Scripture is given by in- 
spiration of G'od," it might be well for the Infidel to 
notice that the word "is" Avas inserted by the 
-translators ; so that the text by no means specifies 
what Scripture is inspired. The word Scripture is 
■derived from scHho, to write, and merely means a 
writing, or anything wntten. The idea of the text 
mnder consideration is, that " aU writing given by in- 
gpiration of God is profitable for doctrine," etc., and 
•<;ertainly never intended to convey the idea that all 
«;H2^i??^ is inspired by God, but simply that all writing 
which is given by inspiration of God is profitable. 

We have now patiently followed the sceptic 
through his entire series of one hundred and forty-four 
propositions, wherein he claims that God's Word con- 
i;ra diets itself; and we find that his last objection to 
the Bible is as groundless as his first, while we have, 
we trust, fairly and satisfactorily removed them all. 
Infidels are often ingenious; and they have, in many 
instances, woven an artful web whereby to cover the 
truth, which at fii'st sight is weU calculated to deceive; 
hut they never have, and never can, present an objection 
to God's Word which the light of fair and honest 
investigation wiU not quickly dispel. 

In the foregoing propositions, we have found many 
t;exts in which the apparent obscurity of the lan- 
guage has furnished an opportunity for cavil ; and 
we cannot wonder that a want of harmony is sup- 
posed to exist between them, by one who has never 
.studied God's Word, or investigated the plan of 
Jehovah. Other propositions we have found, which 



150 THE BIBLE TRroMPHANT. 

could only have originated in the grossest ignorance^ 
and others still, we regret to say, which can be but 
attributed to vile dishonest]/ ; for in these instances, 
the Bible has been so meanly perverted^ and every 
principle of honour and manliness so shamefully 
violatedy that, with all our chanty, we CAN NOT pass^ 
over the offence as the result of ignorance. 

Hence, in looking back over the work we have 
reviewed, we conclude that the sceptic only needs 
more information, and more honesty, to make him a. 
rational behever in God's Word. 



APPENDIX, 

— •>^^<'<^ — 

It was our original intention to write in connection / 
with the present work a somewhat lengthy article on 
the authenticity of the Holy Scriptures. But our 
libraries are enriched by so many valuable works upon 
the subject, that any attempt of ours would not only 
appear weak, but superfluous. So far as laboured 
arguments and eloquent appeals are concerned, the 
Christian literature of the present day is indeed rich. 
To those, however, who are willing to investigate the 
claims of the Bible, we desire to suggest the most 
tempting field of research that was ever presented to 
the mind of a student. We refer to the study of 
prophecy in connection with the record of the 
historian. This is a theme which can never become 
uninteresting ; for the prophecies of the Old Testa- 
ment point to the infallibility of God's Word with 
mathematical precision : they present the evidences of 
revelation so clearly, that infidelity stands appalled 
before the rich developments of truth. The mighty 
walls of ancient kingdoms, and the magnificent 
temples of antiquity, are the monuments of God's 
eternal truth. One hundred and sixty years before 
an enemy's foot had ever entered Babylon, the coinr- 
pleie dessolation of that Ladj/ of Kingdoms was fore- 
told by the inspired penman. At the time when 



152 THE BIELE TRniMPHANT. 

she was the " glory of the Chaldees* excellency ; ** 
when her mighty walls and brazen gates bade de- 
fiance to the united armies of the earth ; even then 
the eye of the prophet looked down through the long 
aisles of the ages, and in the clear Hght of inspiration 
he read even the name of the man before whose 
mandates her glory should fade. So accurate are 
these predictions, that the testimony of those who 
witnessed the dessolate scene in after centuries, 
appear like a repetition of the words of the prophet. 

Read the eloquent descriptions of the overthrow 
of Babylon, as found in the rich language of Isaiah, 
or the mournful wail of Jeremiah ; then turn to the 
classic pages of Xenophon and Herodotus, and they 
will be found to be but the echoes of inspiration. 

In reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, the 
testimony of Josephus is a mere commentary upon 
the predictions recorded in Lev. and Deut. Read 
the prophecies concerning Samaria, Ammon, Moab, 
Idumea, Tyre, and Egypt. They are clothed in the 
glowing eloquence of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 
Hosea, Amos, and Micah. The burning words of 
ancient truth still gleam upon the sacred page, and 
the testimony of hundreds of modern travellers con- 
firm their perfect accuracy. The pages of the 
standard works in all our hbraries record the literal 
fulfilment of those prophecies which were traced 
upon the sacred scroll, in the distant ages of antiquity. 
Strabo and Rolhn are witnesses for God. Even 
Gibbon, the highly gifted but Infidel historian, un- 
consciously testifies, in every volume, to the truth of 
Divine revelation. And Voltaire, in the accouut of 
his extensive travels, is also an unwilling witness to 
the veracity of the sacred writers. But we can only 



THE BIBLE TRIU3IPILVNT. 153 

swjgest this fascinating theme to the student, with 
the earnest desire that he will give it that attention 
which it so richly deserves. 

We wish, however, before bidding farewell to our 
readers, to give, from the best authority we have, 
some of the causes of apparent discrepancies in the 
.Holy Oracles. We beg leave to introduce the foUow- 
ing thoughts from Dr. Sleigh, which we consider 
valuable to the Bible student : 

"Causes of Apparent Discrepancies. — Had the 
writers of the New Testament undertaken, or pro- 
posed to undertake, to give a full account of all the 
circumstances connected with the birth, life, death, 
and resurrection of their Divine Master; and had 
any one of them failed in so domg ; such failure, even 
in one point, would be fatal to the veracity of the 
narrator ; and consequently fatal, so far as he was 
concerned, to the truth of Christianity. But so far 
from any one of them professing to give a detail of all 
that related to Christ, not one of them professed that 
he was even writing a common history of him. And 
so far from their having had any such idea, the Apostles 
in the conclusion of that Gospel which may be con- 
sidered as having been attested to hy them all, when they 
said of its author, " This is the disciple which testifieth 
of these things, and wrote these things ; and WE 
know that his testimony is true " (John xxi. 24) ; they 
figuratively express their conviction of the little, in 
proportion to what might have been recorded (v. 25.) 
And Luke, who has written more than all of them, 
says that his gospel related to what Jesus had only 
begun to do and teach (Acts i. 1.) The fact is, the 
Gospels (as they are called), are only memoirs, com- 
posed of detached narrations of circumstances, put 



154 THE BIBLE TRIU:^IPHAXT. 

down by the sacred writers and witnesses, just as 
they appeared to their judgment of most importance. 
Had these men wT.'itteix in the contraiy way ; had 
they agreed verbatim in their histories of Christ; 
Infidels would immediately cry out, '' See, they wi'ote- 
in concert ; there was evidently a collusion between 
them — ^it is all a job," etc. That such would have 
been the language of Infidels is manifest : for where 
there is the least similarity between the sacred writers, 
as for instance in the account given by Matthew and 
Mark of the fig-tree, and the destruction of Jerusalem, 
they immediately shout, '• Collusion ! Collusion ! " 
We maintain, that so far from the Gospels having in 
them anything which invafidates the veracity of their 
authors, or proves either craft, dishonesty, design, or 
enthusiasm, that they incontrovertibly prove the 
very reverse of each of these qualities, esiibiting 
the very best possible test of the truth of human 
testimony, viz. : Substantial truth under circumstantial 
vaiiety.'' All the apparent discrepancies in the Bible 
(for, recollect, we deny that there is a single ACTUAli con- 
tradiction), may be, according to Home, referred to 
one or other of the following causes : — 

1. To the different sources whence the inspired 
writers drew their narratives. Thus, while the twelve 
apostles were absent from Christ, some of them 
for a longer, and some for a shorter time, as they 
went two by two, some must have witnessed what 
others did not, and vice versa. 

2. To the different designs which the sacred writers 
had in the composition of their narratives : e.g., the 
genealogy of Chiist given by Matthew and Luke, — 
the former being for the Jews, the latter for the 
Gentiles. 



THE BIBLE TRIIIMPHANT. 165^ 

3. To the liability of the names of persons and 
places changing. 

4. The name of the head of a tribe or nation wa& 
sometimes given to their posterity: e.g., Edom or 
Esau is put for the Edomites, who were the des- 
cendants of Esau. (Num. xx. 18.) 

5. The same persons or places sometimes had 
several names : e.g., Esau's wife is called Bashemath 
in Gen. xxvi. 34, and Adah in Gen. xxxvi. 2. Thus- 
he who was nominated for the apostleship is called 
Justus, Joseph, and Barnabas (Acts i. 23) ; Joses and 
Barnabas are the names of the same apostle. The 
place called Enmishpat and Kadesh (Gen. xiv. 7.) 
Magdala, in Matt. xv. 39, is called Dalmanutha in 
Mark viii. 10. And the country of the Gergesenes, in 
Matt. viii. 28, is called in Mark v. 1, Gadarenes. 

6. The many persons and places having the same 
name. There was one Bethlehem in the tribe of 
Zebulun (Josh. xix. 15), and another in the tribe of 
Judali (Matt. ii. 6; Luke ii. 4.) There were two 
towns called Cana (Josh. xix. 28 ; John ii. 1) ; several 
C83sareas, several Zechariahs, and several Herods. 

7. Things oftentimes related in different order. 

8. Events introduced by anticipation. Creation of 
man (Gen. i. 27), which after several other things 
inserted, is related more at large in the creation of 
Adam (Gen. ii. 7, 21, 23.) 

9. The sacred writers sometimes speak in general, 
or round numbers. We do the same at the present 
day, without the least iutention of deception. 

10. Sometimes numbers are exclusive, sometimes 
inclusive. 

11. The writers sometimes quote numbers from the^ 
Septuaguit, and sometimes from the Hebrew text. 



156 TBS BIBLE TKIOMPHAXT. 

12. Some events are referred to (not as to where), 
"by the sacred writera of the Mew Testament^ which 
are not noticed by the inspired historians of the Old, 
bnt which, nevertheless, might be in other records 
then extant. 

13. Kings and their sons frequently rmgned at 
the same time dnring the Hebrew monarchy ; hence 
chronological discrepancies. 

14. Sometimes historians adopted different methods 
of compntation, assigning different dates to the same 
period: e^^ in Gen. xv. 13, it is announced to 
Abraham that his " seed should be a stranger in a 
land that was not theirs, and shonld s^ve them, and 
that they shonld afflict them FOUR hundred teabS;" 
but in Ex. niL 40, 41, it is said, ''They dwelt in 
Egypt fonr hnndred and tbddktt years." Botii are 
peifectly conostent; the apparent contradiction 
arising &om the computation being made fiom two 
diff^^ent dates. In Genedis the time <^culated from 
the date of the promise to Abraham of a son ; and 
in Exodus from his departure fit>m IJr of the Chaldees. 

Finally, while ^we willingly admit that there are 
numerous apparent contradictions in the sacred 
Scriptures, we poatively deny that there is a single 
FOSmvE contradiction in the whole Bible. Moreover, 
we asB^ that, the greater the number of apparent 
contradictions, the greater is the proof that it never 
-was made np by one man; that it never was the 
result of coSaaon ; and finally, that it never was 
invented by any man, or men, with a view to deceive 
tfiantind. 



WSI 



03^ Scriptural Tract Repository, Boston, Mass.)<=> 



INFIDEL TESTIMONY 

CONCSHNING 

THE TEUTH OF THE BIBLE, 

SELECTED FKOM THE WKITIKGS OF DE. ALEXA.NDEB KEITH, 
WITH PEEFATORY REMARKSj 

BY H. L. HASTINGS. 






Is the Bible the Book of God ? Is it a record of Divine 
revelations ? Does God speak to man through its pages ? 
Has it supreme authority ? 

These questions are important. If the Bible is a record 
of the Divine will, the fact must be susceptible of proof, and 
it should be proved. If it is a miserable cheat, concocted 
by designing priests, or a mass of old wives' fables, imposed 
upon the weakness of credulous fools, that fact can be proved, 
and should be proved, and the sooner the better, for the sub- 
ject is of moment, and the necessity for its discussion urgent. 

I know men say that if the Bible is not true yet it is best 
to let the imposition pass unquestioned, because it exercises 
a wholesome moral influence upon rascals generally, who are 
kept from actual mischief in this world, by fear of fancied 
punishments in the next. But the main question cannot be 
settled by such evasions. Ignorance is not the parent or 
true devotion, nor are lies or pious frauds the seeds of 
righteousness. 

It is sometimes said that the Bible is an inspired book, 
and so is the Koran, so are the Shasters, so are Shaks- 
peare's Plays, so are Plato's Dialogues, and so are books 
generally, — all are inspired, all have truth, all have error, 
but all are behind the times, and need to be improved by the 
addition of whatever new revelations may present them- 

Proplietical Series, No. 2. 



a INFIDEL TESTIMONT COXCER^^NG 

selves ; and when all are completed, we are then to believe 
and obey just as much and just as little of any or all of them 
as we please. 

But this position does not quite . satisfy me. Yarioua 
modem authors offer me theories, fancies, opinions, and ar- 
guments. I take them for what they seem to be worth 
But the writers in the Bible do not usually offer their opin 
ions. They relate facts which they profess to have seen ; 
they profess to reject fables and traditions, and they, over 
and over again, preface their sayings with the words, " Thus 
SAiTH THE Lord. " 

Shakspeare does not say that, nor Plato, nor Socrates, nor 
any of the poets or sages of ancient or modern times. Xow, 
if the Almighty really speaks to us, we ought to listen, and 
give heed. But if he does not speak, then we cannot accept 
these statements as either true, or wise, or profitable. 

It is sometimes suggested that the writers of the Bible 
were a pack of credulous fools, quickly imposed upon, and 
easily deceived. But at this I demur. A fool never wrote 
Moses- Laws, Job's Discourses, David's Psalms, Solomon's 
Proverbs, Isaiah's Poetry, Daniel's Visions, EzekiePs Proph- 
ecies, Paul's Epistles, or John's Revelation. The man who 
thinks fools could write such books, might well afford to try 
his own hand at it, and see. 

Xow these writers in general, though intelligent and or 
acknowledged ability, do not profess to offer speculations, or 
opinions, but they base their whole system upon alleged 
facts. If they had been fools they might have been imposed 
upon somewhat ; but in general the facts were of such a 
nature that they could not be mistaken about them. And 
they either tell the positive ti'uth,- or else they were most 
outrageous and infamous liars. 

The Israelites either went through the Red Sea dry shod, 
or the man ^vho wrote the story about it lied. Either the 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 3 

Jordan was divided before them, or the record of it is a 
falsehood. Christ either healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, 
cast out demons, and raised the dead, or Matthew, Mark, 
Luke, and John, were impudent, lying knaves. 

Jesus of Nazareth, whom Jews, Gentiles, and Christians 
all agree was crucified, either did really, truly, personally, 
and bodily rise from the dead, and ascend to heaven, or the 
men who, at the loss of then' reputation, at the expense of 
every personal comfort, and even unto the suffering of vio- 
lent deaths, bore testimony that they saw him, heard him, 
handled him, walked with him, talked with him, ate with 
him, and knew him " by many infallible proofs," and finally 
beheld him ascending heavenward till a cloud received him 
out of their sight, were base hypocrites, arrant knaves, vile 
impostors, and persistent and determined liars. 

There is no middle ground to stand on here. They saw 
what they said they did, or they lied. The Almighty spoke 
to the prophets, or they told falsehoods in the name of the 
God of truth. Either they bring to us the actual verities of 
Divine revelation, or else the whole tribe of them, in all their 
generations, for hundreds and hundreds of years, were de- 
ceivers and prating knaves, who lied about the hell which 
they asserted that all liars should have part in, and deceived 
about the very words in which they declared damnation on 
all deceivers. 

We cannot blink this position out of sight. The ques- 
tion must be met here and settled. Honest men do not 
wish to be deceived, and in these days men want facts, not 
fables, truths not errors, by which to direct their lives. 

I know the Bible is said to be the best of all the pretended 
sacred books in the world. But that argument amounts to 
nothing. If it is not true, it is false. If the Koran, the 
Shasters, or the Spirit communications are true, then let us 
believe them, and turn Turks, Hindoos, or Spirit rappers. 



4 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

Or, if there is no revelation of the future, then let us make 
the most of the present—" let us eat and drink, for to-mor- 
row we die." 

But let us not cling to a lie because it is better than a 
dozen other lies. If indeed the Bible is better than they 
are, that is no reason why it should be received if it be false. 
For it is not a mere harmless humbug, a collection of the 
writings of well-meaning but misguided idiots. It is either 
the word of the everlasting Deity, or else it is a cheat so 
outrageous and shameful, that compared with it the Koran 
is sacred, The Arabian Nights reasonable, and the Book of 
Mormon worthy of sincere respect. 

The Bible is everything, or it is worse than nothing. It 
is the best book or the worst one in the world. It contains 
eternal truth, or the deepest error. It is pure gold, or base 
counterfeit. Which is it ? 

We must not prejudge this question. The Christian says 
he knows the Bible to be true because he feels it is. The 
infidel says he rejects it because he has no such feeling. 
Both may be prejudiced. Either may be mistaken. A more 
conclusive style of argument than this must be produced, to 
decide this important question. 

The question is not whether the English Bible is entirely, 
in all its jots and tittles, the word of God, for all agree that 
there maybe in that, mis- prints, mis-translations, and possible 
inaccuracies. And even in the Hebrew and Greek originals, 
there are errors of transcribers, and some slight variations 
of readings in different manuscript copies. And then there 
are recorded in it, not only the words of God, but also of 
men and of devils ; and some of these words all admit to 
be false. But»the question is, whether God, men, and devils 
said the words and did the things there related of them. Is 
the account correct ? Is the record true ? 

We need not enquire whether the Bible is a modern book 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 5 

or an ancient one. Here there is no room for dispute. It 
is older than the art of printing, for it was the first book 
piinted. It is older than the dark ages, for copies of it ex- 
ist which were written long loefore. And about the year It 6, 
Celsus, a heathen, or infidel philosopher, in writing the first 
book ever published against Christianity, entitled The Word 
OP Truth, quotes or refers to about eighty passages which 
can now be found in the New Testament. He speaks oi 
the histories of Jesus written by his disciples, refers to all 
the leading facts narrated in the gospels, and says, "It is 
but RECENTLY, as it Were, yesterday, since we punished 
Christ." " It is but a few years since he delivered this doc- 
trine, who is reckoned by the Christians to be the Son of 
God." 

And Porphyry, another heathen writer, about the year 
270, VTrote against the Book of Daniel, which he allowed 
was written as early as the days of Antiochus, or about 150 
years before the Christian Era. A book cannot be quoted 
or refuted before it is written. Hence as Celsus quotes the 
New Testahient, it was written before A. D. 1*76, and as 
the New Testament quotes the prophets, they were written 
previous to it, and as the prophets quote the Law that was 
written before the prophets wrote, and as the Law refers to 
Genesis, and Genesis refers to no preceding book, it seems 
to stand at the head as the oldest of all. We shall not need 
then to discuss this question of age, as we can prove by 
Jews, Christians, and infidels, that the books which are 
called the Bible are very ancient works. But another ques- 
tion, namely, concerning the inspiration, the Divine origin, 
and the authority of the Bible, is the one before us. 

We know and admit that there is a God in nature, for 
there are things done before our eyes which no man has 
power to do. And the source of that almighty power, that 
ceaseless energy that rules and upholds and guides the 



b INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

universe, is what we call Deitj. And so when power is dis- 
played beyond all human might, we refer that display back 
to God as to its only author. 

But what power do we find in the Bible ? It is a hooh ; 
men have written it ; do they give proof of divine assist- 
ance in their work ? 

There is one point on which we propose to test the pre- 
tensions of the authors of the Bible, and that is in the di- 
rection of KNOWLEDGE. Men, we all know, are short-sighted 
and ignorant. What we can know by our senses, and what 
we can remember from our experience^ makes up most of 
our personal knowledge. No man can accurately tell the 
future. To-morrow's events are beyond the ken of mortals. 
The past and the present, the distant and the near may be 
ours, but the future we cannot fathom nor unveil. 

And though jugglers and fortune-tellers make shrewd 
guesses, yet they do not unfold the mysteries of coming fate. 
The old oracles could not fully declare the future. Some- 
times their utterances had a double meaning, and if you 
went wrong it was only because you did not understand 
them right. They were shrewd, tricky, and evasive. 

The Spiritual mediums of the present day seem equally 
unreliable here. They cannot tell the future . Spirits can 
perhaps telegraph you what is doing half way round the 
world ; or can hunt over gravestones and family records, 
and tell you how many children your grandmother had, and 
whether your aunts and uncles are dead or alive ; but they 
cannot tell you the fnture. 

Sometimes they do try it. I heard of a medium who 
predicted her own death within twenty-four hours, and the 
prophecy came true ; but then the stomach-pump brought • 
up laudanum enough out of her to kill two or three such 
women, and the presence of that accounted for the miracle. 

But when we come to foreseeing the events of the far off 



THE TRUTH OP THE BIBLE. 7 

ages, no one can do it unless in the first place he is omnis- 
cient, and can see all things present and future at a glance, 
and also almighty, so that he can make his words hold good, 
and not have his plans thwarted, subverted, or interfered 
with. 

And right upon this very point we may test the inspira- 
tion of the Scriptures. If we find that they contain pre- 
dictions uttered ages before their fulfilment, and that those 
prophecies have all failed, we may then reject the book at 
once. But if, on the contrary, we find that these prophe- 
cies are accurately and circumstantially fulfilled, then we 
must admit that since man cannot foresee the events of a . 
single hour, He who could minutely declare the events of 
the far off future must be Omniscient and Omnipotent, and 
hence that writings which record such declarations must be 
inspired by a divine mind. 

And no Christian can reasonably complain of such a test 
as this, for it is the very test proposed in these same Scrip- 
tures as coming from the Lord himself. "I am Grod and there 
is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and 
from ancient times the things that are not yet done ; say- 
ing My counsel shall stand, and 1 will do all my pleasure." 
— Is. xlvi. 10. "Behold the former things are come to pass, 
and new things do I declare ; before they spring forth I 
tell you op them." — Is. xlvii. 9. And he calls on all the 
idolaters to meet this challenge, saying, "Produce your 
cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, 
saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and 
show us WHAT SHALL HAPPEN ; let them show the former 
things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know 
the latter end of them ; or declare us things for to come. 
Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may 
KNOW THAT YE ARE GODS : yea, do good, or do evil, that we 
may be dismayed, and behold it together." — Isa. xli. 21 — 24. 



8 INTIDEL TESTLMONY CONCERNING 

Now we propose to apply this very rule to the records of 
Scripture, and see whether the prophets can abide their own 
tests. If they can, we accept them as inspired teachers ; if 
not, we reject them as vile imposters. 

And we need not go hunting through' the dark ages for 
evidences on this point. We shall not do it. The prophets 
of the Old Testament uttered hundreds of predictions with 
reference to the nations and lands around them, and there 
are plenty of travellers who have visited these lands, and 
can tell whether these words are accomphshed or not. 

One of the most noted of these travellers is C. F. Yol- 
ney, a learned and eloquent French skeptic, who traversed 
those very countries, and wrote nit only a journal of his 
" Travels in Syria and Egypt," but also " The Ruins of Em- 
pires," an able work aimed against the inspiration of the 
Scriptures. But his infidelity cannot invahdate his testi- 
mony as a trustworthy and observing traveller, and as a 
faithful recorder of the scenes which he had witnessed. 

Yolnej^s Travels are characterized by the Edinburg Re- 
view, (No. 50, p. 417) as "an admu-able book" of "extra- 
ordinary merit. " And the learned Malte-Brun, in his geog- 
raphy, (vol. ii., p. 126), after mentioning several geograr- 
phers, antiquarians, travellers, missionaries, and naturalists, 
who have ably elucidated particular parts of the countries 
belonging to Asiatic Turkey, remarks, 'Tt was reserved for 
the genius of Yolney to combine their detached accounts 
with the firuits of his own observation and study, so as to 
present the world with a complete description of Syria.''^ 

We shall take then those prophecies which foretold the 
condition of Palestine and the- adjacent countries, and the 
latest of which was written, according to infidel admissions, 
more than two thousand years ago, and lay them side by side 
with the writings of Yolney and Gibbon, who wrote in the 
eighteenth century, and whose statements we shall also con- 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 9 

firm and amplify by occasional extracts from the wi'itings 
of more modern travellers, and thus bring the records of 
prophecy and the facts of history side by side, and test the 
pretensions of the prophet by the historic facts which the 
travellers can see to-day. K the prophecy and the facts 
disagree, the prophecy must fall. If the prophecy two 
thousand years old agrees with the facts that meet the trav- 
eller's gaze to-day, then Omniscience must have dictated the 
prediction, and Omnipotence secured its fuliilment. And if 
that be so, the Bible is the word of God. 

In exhibiting this matter, we shall make use of the col- 
lection of Alexander Keith, who has with much labor dra^n 
up the follo^Ning parallel statements, wjiich we copy entire 
with very slight alterations. 

PEOPHECY. FULFILLMENT. 

l^HE generation to "I jqukneyed in the empire of the 
^haTltaU 'Z nT'at? Ottomans, and traversed the prormces, 
von. and the steaxgek which formerly were kingdoms of Egypt 
THAT SHALL COME FROM and Syria." ""I wandered over^he 
^^"^r^gZ^ '^It country "-I enumerated the kingdoms 
i<ind, and the sicknesses of Damascus and Idumea, of Jerusalem 
which the Lord hath and Samaria. This Sviia, said I to 

Dent!'^^^!*22!^'^ ''^' ^^y^^V^ ^^^"^ ^hnost depopulated, then 

contained a hundred flomishing cities, 

and abounded with towns, villages, and 

hamlets. What are become of so many 

productions of the hand of man ? TThat 

are become of these ages of abundance 

and of life ? " Etc. — Volney's Buins, 

chap, i., 11, pp. 1, 2, T. 

Wherefore hath the " Great God ! from whence proceed 

tod f ° m"' mL"n«h Buch melancholy rerolutions ? For what 

the heat of this great cause is the fortune of these countries 

anger 1 lb. 24. go strikingly changed ! Why are so 

many cities destroyed ? Why is not 

that ancient population reproduced and 

perpetuated?" — lb., c. ii., p. 8. 



10 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

I will scatter you ojnong The Jews, as all know, have been 
draw'^ut'a 's^T/after ^'^'^t^^^^d among the heathen. " I hare 
jou : atid your ia?id shall trsiyersed this desolate countiy," says 
be desolate, Lerit. xxxri. Yolney, Buins, C. ii., p. T. 

Then shall the land en- " Every day I found in my route fields 
joy her sabbaths (or rest, abandoned by the plough." — lb., c. 1. 
or be untiUed), .. rpj^^ ^^ ^^ cultivation is in the most 

deplorable state." — Volney^s Travels, 

vol. ii., p. 413. 
As long as it lieth des- 
olate, and ye be in vour 

arSaeS^ir-S "Why do these lands no longer 
The land also shaU enjoy boast their former temperature and fer- 
her sabbaths, or rest, tility ? Why have these favors been 
while she lieth desolate 4.,^„^^i?„_^j „ r+ _ ^ 
withont them, V. 43. ^fansferred, as It were, /or SO 77107??/ aye^', 

They shall raise up the to other nations and different climes ? " 
former desolations, the — Volney^S Ruim, C. XL, p. 9. 
desolations of ?nany gen- 
eratioTis, Isa. Ixi. i. See 
also Isa. xxxiii. 15 ; 
Iviii. 12 ; Ezek. xxxri." 
24, 25, 33-36; xsxviii. 8. 

Dan. ix. 27; Hos. iu. 4. u -writhin two thousand five hundred 
Tour land, strangers years we may reckon ten invasions 
devour it in 7°^ P^es- r^^Ach have introduced into Syria a sue- 
ence, and it i& desolate, . y. /> . ,. *,, t^ , 

as overthrown by stran- s ^071 01 foreign nations." — Volney^s 

gers, Isa. i. 7. Travels, vol. i., p. 356. 

" Syria became a province of the Ro- 

Destructlon upon de- man empire. In the vear 622 (636) 

ir2^''''MtscWef shSi the Arabian tribes, collected under the 

come upon mischief, banners of Mohammed, seized, or rather 

Ezek. vu. 21, 26. TeU laid it waste. Since that period, torn 

ferytui^MMren' TeU to pieces by the civU wars of the Fati- 

their children, and their mites and the Ommiades, wrested from 

children another genera- the califs bv their rebeUious governors, 

co^-eupnponmTl^it^ken from themby the Turkmen sol- 

strong and without num- dierv, invaded by the European crusa- 

ber, etc., Joel i. ders, retaken by the Mamelukes of 

Egypt, and ravaged by Tamerlane and 

his Tartars, it has at length fallen into 

the hands of the Ottoman Turks."— 

Volney^s Travels, p. 357. 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 11 

I will give it into the Judea has been the scene of frequent 
the hands of strangers ^^^^^^^ ''which have introduced a 
for a prey, . or. ,. /■, 

succession oi /orez^n nations {aespeu- 

ples etr angers).''^ — lb., p. 365. 

"When the Ottomans took Syi'ia 

And to the wicked of from the Mamelukes, they considered it 

the earth for a spoil, ^^^j as the spoil of a vanquished ene- 

Ezek. vii. 31. -^ . J- 4. 4.1. 1 \i Ti- J 

my. Accordmg to the law, the life and 

property of the vanquished belong to 
the conquerors." — lb., vol. ii., p. 310. 
Thero&&ersshaU enter " The government is far from disap- 
into it and defile it, proving a system of robbery and plun- 
Ezek.Tii.21. der.''—Ib.,^ 381. 

The holy places shall '' The holy places were polluted with 

be defiled. the monuments of idolatry. " — Gibbon, 

Hist, vol. iv., p. 100. The Mosque of 

Omar now stands on the site of the 

Temple of Solomon. 

Zion shall be plowed "After the final destruction of the 

over like a field, Jer. temple by the arms of Titus and Ha- 

xxvi. 18; Micah 111. 12. -, . ^ -^ i i , -, 

"^^ ' drian, a ploughshare was drawn over 

the consecrated ground as a sign of per- 
petual interdiction. " — Gibbon, ib. "At 
the time when I visited this sacred spot 
(Mount Zion), one part of it supported 
a crop of barley, another was undergo- 
ing the labor of the plough." — Micah 
iii. 12. Richardson'' s Travels. 

, , , J "So feeble a population in so excel- 

I will brmff the land , ^ x n -^ 

into desolation; and your lent a country may well excite our as- 
enemies which dwell tonishment ; but this will be increased 
therein shall be asto^ {f -^e compare the present number of 
Sve^^Vne thlt™seth inhabitants with that of ancient times." 

thereby shai be aston Volney's Travels, vol. ii., p. 366. 

isJied, Jer. xviii. 6. n Everywhere one might have seen 

cultivated fields, frequented roads, and 
crowded habitations. Ah ! what are be- 
be'dTolaTre^fSvlIconie of those ages of abundance and 
22. of life ! " — Ruins, c. ii., p. 7. "In the 

interior parts of the country there are 
neither great roads, nor canals, nor even 



12 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCEKNING 

bridges, etc. The roads in the moun- 
tains are extremelT bad. It is remark- 
able that we never see a wagon nor a 
cart in all Sviia.'- — Volney's Traveh, 
vol. ii, pp. 417, 419. 
The -wavfaring man '' Xohody travels alone. Between 
ceaseUi, isa. xxsiii. 8. town and town there are neither posts 

nor public conveyances," etc. iZ). p. 418. 
I \nll destroy your 
high places and bring 
vour sanctnaries into 
desolation, Ley. xxri. " The temples are thrown down, 

30. 31: Amos ii. 5. 

The palaces shall be ,, ^, , , t i j 

forsaken, Isa. xxxii. 14. Ihe palaces demohshed, 

I will destroy the rem- 
nant of the seacoast, 
Ezek. XKv. IB. 



" The ports filled up, 

I -Rill make yonr cities '' The towns destroyed, 
waste, Lev. xxvi. 31. 

Few men left, Isa. 
xxiv. 6. 



" And the earth, dripped of inhabit- 
dioSS;^^, moreS "''''Seems a drearr buiying-place." *- 

olate than the wilderness Buins, C ii., p. 8. 
towards Diblath, in all 
their habitations. Ezek. 
Ti. 14. 

^^ft°\*^^?^^'''''^™^; "Svria has undergone revolutions 
eth the land emptT, and t_- i" , r- 7 7 ^i t^c 

maketh it waste, and which have contounded the different 
tnmeth it npside down, races of the inhabitants." — Volney^s 
and s^cattereth abroad Travels: voL L, p. 356. 
the inhabitants thereof ' ^ 

And it shall be as with 
the people, so with the 
priest ; as with the ser- 
vant, so with the master, 
etc., Isa. xxiv. 1. '•' The barbarism of Svria is com- 

Jder fhfuSabu!iS Plete."-i6., ToL il, p. 442. 

thereof. lb. The worst 

of the heathen shall pos- " The pure gospel of Christ, everv- 

sess^heirhonses, Ezek. ^^^^^ ^^^ j^^j.^|^| of civihzation and sci- 

Becanse they have ence, is almost as Httle known in the 
transgressed the law, Holv Land as in California or ISTew 

changed the ordinances, TT^lland " Dr Clorhe^^i TrnveU 

broken the everlagting ^^^fp^^' ~^^' ^^^.r^e^y 1 rate IS, 
cawrumi. Vol U., p. 405 

* In this single sentence, withont the addition or exception of a word, 
Volney clearly andimconsciously shows the ftilfilment of sis predictions. 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 13 

Therefore hath the " God has, doubtless, pronounced a 
curse devoured the earth, gg(,j.g^ malediction against the earth." 

— Volney^s Ruins, c. ii., p. 11. 

Aud they that dwell "I wandered over the country and 

therein a-e desolate, Isa. examined the condition of the peasants, 

xxiv, 5, 6. and nowhere perceived aught but 

robbery and devastation, misery and 

wretchedness." — Volney, ib., p. 2. 

The vine languishes, " ^^ ^^^ mountains they do not prune 

Isa. xxiv. 7. the vines, and they nowhere ingrafts 

trees." — Volney^s Travels, vol. ii., p. 

335. 

''Good cheer would infalliblv expose 
J~l.lifuoTS them to extortion and wine to"aeorpo. 
Wine with a song, Isa. real punishment." — Volney^s Travels, 
xxiv. 9. vol. i., p. 480. 

Strong drink shall be " The wines of Jerusalem are most 

bitter to them that drink execrable. " — Jolliffe^s Letters from 

it, 1^' Palestine, vol. i., p. 184. " The wine 

drank in Jerusalem is probably the very 

worst to be met with in any country." 

— Wilson''s Travels, p. 130. 

" The Arabs (in singing) may be said 
All the merry-hearted to excel most in the melancholy strain. 
^^^^ ' To hear his plaintive tones, his sighs, 

and sobs, it is almost impossible to re- 
frain from tears." — Volney^s Travels, 
vol. ii., p. 440. 

" They (the inhabitants) have no 
The mirth of tabrets niusic but vocal, for they neither know 
haiT Sasetb,"' jL-'^xxV! ^^^' esteem instrumental. Such instru- 
8. ments as they have, not excepting their 

flutes, are detestable." — Volney'' s Trav- 
els, p. 439. 

" They have a serious, nay, even sad 

•'^^l'i°r!f.nf *^?i°?.*^t= aiid melancholy countenance. They 
rejoice endeth; all joy is r, "^ ^ xi - . e ^.^ 

darkened ; the mirth of rarely laugh ; and the gayety of the 
the land is gone, Isa.. French appears to them a fit of deliri- 
xxiv. 8, 11, Mm.'''— Volney' s Travels, vol. i., p. 4T6, 

461. 



14 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

Many days and years "In Palestine you mav see married 
SSersVomr'Tre^ ^^0^^ ^^"'^ uncovered: "-76., vol. i. 
b!e, ye women that are p. 361. 
at case ; be troubled, ye 
careless ones ; strip you 
and make you bare, and 
gird sackcloth upon your 
loins, Isa. xxxii. 10, 11. "The earth produces only briars and 

, , , , wormwood." — Volneips Ruins, p. 9. 
Upon the land of mv , , . ^ , j_ 'A 

people shall come up ^^ ©^'eiy Step we meet with nuns 
thorns and briars, lb. 13. of towers, dungeons and castles "with 
The forts and towers fosses, frequently inhabited by jackalls, 
shall be for dens forever, i i ^ • n t^ 7 i m 

ljj^l4^^ ' owls, and scorpions." — Volney^s Trav- 

els, vol. ii., p. 336. 

"All the parts of Galilee which af- 
ford pasture are occupied by Arab 
there Sthe°«m&s feed ti'ibes, around whose brown tents the 
after their manner ; and sheep and lambs gambol to the sound 
the waste places of the of the reed, which at night-fall calls them 
fat ones shall strans;ers , ,, -n/r n -n 1 •• t <o 

g^j j^_ ^ home." — Malte-Brun, vol. u., p. 148. 

" There are innumerable monuments 

The multitude of the ^^^^^^ ,d^P°«5 /?^ /=^^°;^.^ °! ^^^ f ^^^ 
city shall be left, J&. population of high antiquity, such as 
The defenced city shall the prodigious quantity of ruins dis- 
be left desolate, and the persed over the plains, and even in the 
mbitations forsaken, and ^ ,. ,,1-1 i ,7,, -1^7 

leftZi/ce a wilderness, Isa. mountains, at this day deserledJ' — Vol- 
xxvii. 10, ney^s Travels, vol. ii., p. 368. 

"The olive-trees (near Arimathea) 

are daily perishing through age, the 

tJreoT are' wi^herld! f^^^ges of contendiag factions and even 

they shall be broken oflf; from secret mischiei. The Mamelukes 

the women come and set having cut do-^Ti all the olive-trees, for 

them on fire, Isa. xxvii. ^j^^ pleasure they take in destroying, or 

to make fires, Yafa has lost its greatest 

commerce." — Volney^s Travels, vol. ii., 

p. 33^, 333. 

^ .^ . , . "The most simple arts are in a state 

For it is a people of „ , , . .i • . . 77 

no understanding; Isa. of barbarism ; the sciences are totally 

xxvii. 11. unknown." — ift., p. 442. 

Your cities burned " ^ P^^^^ ^f ^jy ravaged mth fre 

with fire, Isa, i. 7. and swoi'd would have precisely the ap- 



THE TRUTH OP THE BIBLE. 15 

pearance of this village (Loudd, Lydda). 
Ramla is in almost as ruinous a state." 
—lb., p. 332, 333. 
Many pastors h^a,YQAe- "Like the Turkmen, the Curds are 
stroyed my vineyard, pastors and iccmclerers. A third wan- 
pSonTndSfS j7. dering people in Syi'ia are the Bedouin 
xii. 10. Arabs. The Turkmen, the Curds, aud 

the Bedouins have no fixed habitations, 
but keep perpetualhj wandering, with 
their tents and herds." Chap, xxiii. of 
Volney^s Travels is entitled. Of the 
Pastoral or Wandering Tribes of Syria. 
— Yol. i., p. 367, etc. 
They have made my "With its numerous a;dvantages of 
pleasant 2^ortio?iji Aeso- oii^r^lQ ^nd soil, it is not astonishing 
late wilderness, the whole , - , cn • i i n i i n 

land is made desolate, ^nat Syria should always have been es- 
Ib. 10, 11. teemed a most delicious countrp." — 

Volney^s Travels, vol. i., p. 321. "I 
have seen nothing but solitude and de- 
sertion." — Vohiey^s Ruins, p. Y. 
The spoilers are come " These precautions, (against robbers) 
upon all high places are above all necessary in the countries 
j'er?!'!! 12? '^^^*^'''''''' exposed to the Arabs, such as Pales- 
tine, and the whole frontier of the des- 
ert." — Volney^s Travels, vol. ii., p. 4It. 
No flesh shall have "War, famine, and pestilence assail 
P^^^^' them at every turn. " — lb. p. 9. 

"Man sows in anguish, and reaps 
They have sown wheat vexation and care." — lb. 11. "They 
hut they shall reap ^^ ^ ^ permitted to reap the fruit 
thorns: they have put „ ,, . , , ^ ,, ^^ -, , rr^ 7 
themselves to pain, but of their labors." — Volneifs Travels, 
shall not profit. vol. ii., p. 435. 

" The annual sum paid by Syria into 
ThevshaU be ashamed the treasury of the Sultan amounts to 
of; your revenues, Jer. 33^5 ^^^^^^^ 

For Aleppo 800 
Tripoli t50 
Damascus 45 
Acre 150 

Palestine — '■ — 2345 purses." 

(Or £112,135.)— iZ^. vol. ii., p. 360. 



16 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

ofthlSMbitan^^^^f^j'^ '"^^^ peasants are everywhere re- 
?usaieml and of the land ^^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^le cake of barley or dourra, 
of Israel, they shall eat to onions, lentils, and water.^^ " Dread 
their bread with careful- prevails through the villas^es." " The 
ness, and drink their i •, x? xi, o ij.*" x 

tt-afer with astonishment; ^i-^^^^i^^y P^^er of the Saltan, -trans - 
that her land may be mitted to the pacha and to all his sub- 
desolate from ALL that delegates, by arivinff a free course to 
IS therein, because of the i ±- j i? • • i? 

violence of all them that extortion, becomes the mainspring of a 
dwell therein Ezek. xii., tyranny which circulates through every 
^^- class, while its effects, by a reciprocal 

reaction, are everywhere fatal to agri- 
culture, the arts, commerce, population : 
in a word, everything which consti- 
tutes the power of the state. — Volney^s 
Travels, vol. ii., p. 378, 3T9, 412, 477. 

^3flS^i^^^^^ ^ f""" "The remains of cisterns are to be 
den that hath no water, „ , ., , , .tin- t • i . i 

Isa. i. 30. How long lound (throughout Judea) m which they 
shall the land mourn, collected the rain water ; and traces of 

Zt *^4^^''5' .f ^^^7 the canals by which these waters were 
field wither, for the t^icZ;- t , m , -, -^ ,-. /? 7 ■, n/r i* n 7 

edness of them that dwell distributed on ihQ fields. — Malte-Brun's 
therein? Geography, vol. ii. p. 150, 150. "We 

here see none of that gay carpeting of 
grass and flowers which decorate the 
meadows of Normandy and Flanders. 
The land of Syria has almost always a , 
dusty appearance. Had not these 
countries been ravaged by the hands of 
man, they might perhaps at this day 
And the cm'es thafare have been shaded by forests." — Vol- 
inhabited shall be laid , TrmipU vol ii -n ^59 
waste, and they shaU ^^2/ « iraveiS, YOL 11., p. rfoy. 
knowth tIamtheLord, "Every day I found m my route vil- 
Ezeh. xii., 30. lages deserted and cities in ruins.'' — 

When thus it shall be 17-° 7^^,/^ Ryiv^ c i 
in the midst of the land yOf^^^V « -tiUins, C. 1. 
among the people, there 

shall be as the shaking u j looked for the ancient people and 
tl"minT'o?'th: their works; and all that I could find 
grapes when the vintage was a faint trace, like what the foot of 
is done lb., 13. The ^he passenger leaves on the sand." — 
glory of Jacob shall be tt- 7 1 t> • 
made thin, /sa. xvii. 4. Volney's Bums, C. U. 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLfi. 17 

Butyetin it shaiibe a ''The land of the plains is fat and 

tenth; and it shall re- 7 i i -i -^ • « ^ 

turn and shall be eaten, f^oamy, and exhibits eveiy sign of the 

as a teii-tree, and as an greatest fecundity. Were nature assist- 

oak whose suUtance is ed by art, the productions of the most 

tti them, when they cast j* - !l+. ^ • • i.j. i t t 

their leaves, Isa. vi., 13. distant- countries might be produced 

- ' within the distance of twenty leagues." 

— Volney's Travels, vol. i, p, 308, 317. 

" Galilee would be a paradise were it 

inhabited by an industrious people under 

an enhghtened government." — Malte- 

Brun^s Geography, vol, ii, p, 148. 

The city that went out "A tract from which a hundred indi- 

by thousand shall leave ^jciuals draw a scanty subsistence, for- 

a nunaredj Amos v., 3. , • . • i ,i 7 » ,-> . 

merly mamtamed thousands" — Pierre 

Belo quoted by Malte-Brun, 

as\teap°'of'thtTM '' ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ converted 
and as plantings of a^^^o gardens."— Jfaiinc^reZZ's Travels, 
vineyard. p. 78. 

.,,.•11 A " The relative distance, local position, 

And I will pour down ^ i^ i p ci i j^ -i 

the stones thereof into ^^^i unaltered name 01 fee baste, leave no 
the valley, and I will doubt as to the identity of its site ; and 

fhS^'Mm/^rt'^'^'''^^^^^^^^ features are equally seen in 
" ' the threat of Micah. " — Buckingham's 
Travels in Palestine, p. 511, 512. 

O Canaan the land of ^ " ^JJ ^}^ P^^i^. between Ramla and 
the Philistines, I will (xaza " (the plam of the Philistines, 
even destroy you : The along the sea-coast), " the houses are so 
LTrand'^eottaleffo^'^^y huts, sometimes detached, at oth- 
shepherds, and folds for crs ranged in the form of cells around a 
flocks. Zeph. ii., 5, 6. court-yard, enclosed by a mud wall. In 
winter they and the cattle may be said 
to live together, the part of the dwell- 
ing allotted for themselves being only 
raised two feet above that in which they 
lodge their beasts.'" — Volney^s Travels, 

The remnant of the^^^" ^}v ^' ^^^' . 
Philistines shall perish, ' " All the rest IS a desert, "io., p. 336. 
Amos i., 8. <' The ruins of white marble some- 

the^loTGr.twSti'^^s f^°d at Gaza prove that it was 
Shall devour the palaces formerly the abode of luxury and opu- 
thereof, lb. 7. lence.'' — Volney^s Trav. v. ii.,p. 340. 



18 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

The king shall perish " It is no more than a defenceless vil- 

from Gaza, Zech. ix. 5. i„„^ ,, 77. -,7 ,-. o<a 
Baldness is come upon^^^^- " ^^^^ P' ^'^^- 
Gaza, Jer. xirii., 5. 

ASKELONshaiLbeades- u rpj^g deserted niins of Azkalan."— 

olation, Zejjh. 11., 4. As- ji--j 000 

kelon shall not be inhab--'^^-* P- ^^^• 
ited, Zech, is. 5. 

I jviu cut off the in- *« ^g j^^t successively with various 
habitants from Ashdod, . , , ^ • i 1 1 /• i • i 

jj,i05 i, 8^ rums, the most considerable of which 

are at Ezdoud, famous at present for its 
scoi-pions. ■' — Ibid. 

Lebaxox is ashamed Among the crags of the rocks (on 
^il!rr TheToresf^jLe'Danon) may be seen the no rery mag- 
the vintage is come nincent remams 01 the boasted cedars.' 
down, Zech. xi. 2. The — Ibid., vol. i., p. 292. 
high ones of stature shall 
be he^m down, etc., Isa. 
X. 33. 

The rest of thetreesof ^ j]^qj.q are but four or five of these 
^Tlkt^ ^"t; trees which deserve any notice."-Fo?. 
them, Isa. x., 19. iiey's Travels, i., 292. 

Ammon. iwiU stretch *^ j^^ ^j^jg country, formerlv so popu- 
rwmCtSy^h'^^llI-lous and flourishing, is now changed in- 
XXV., 7. to avast desert." — SeetzerCs Travels, 

p. 34. 

I wiU deliver thee for u rpj^^ ^^^ greater part of the countrv 
a^pou to the heathen, .^ unmhabited, being abandoned to the 
wandering Arabs.'' — Ibid., p. 37. 

I wiU make Kabbah " We met numbers of Arabs with 

(the chief city of fHheYi:Q^me\s.''—Ibid. 

Ammonites; a stable for ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^.^ ^^,.^^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^_ 

And 'a couching place ter during the night." Mr. Buckingham 

for flocks, i'2cl-. xxT. ^'^q\^xqs, that at Amman he "lay down 

among Jlocks of sheep and goats, and 

that he was almost entirely prevented 

from sleeping by the bleating of fiocks. " 

Travels among the Arab tribes, p. T2, 73. 

Kabbah BhaU be a des- " The buildings exposed to the at- 

olate heap, Jer. xlxi, 2. mosphere are all in decay. The plam 

is covered with the remains of private 

buildings," &c. — BurckliardVs Travels 

in Syria, p. 359, 360. 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 19 

MOA.B. The spoiler " The ruins of Eleale, Heshbon, Meon 
XI anTnoT?y7iSSDibon, Aroer, still subsist to illustrate 
escape. The cities there- the history of the Beni Israel. " Burck- 
of shall be desolate, hardt enunierates many ruined sites with- 
Therein! 'JLgment'ls ^^ ^^s boundaries.- 2^m. 6 ?s inWubia, 
come upon all the p. 38. Travels in Syria, ip. ^10. 
cities of the land of 
Moab, far and near, Jer. 
xlviii., 8, 9. 

The days come, saith Of Moab, Burckhardt writes 

the Lord, that I will send uwi.gj.ever the Bedouins ^wnnripr 
nnto Moab wanderers,. ^^J^erever tne .Deaoums (wander- 
that shall cause him to mg Arabs) are masters of the cultiva- 
wander, Ibid., 12 tors, the latter are soon reduced to beg- 
gary by their unceasing demands. " 

Travels in Syria, p. 381. 
^r^J^. that dwell in a rpj^^ wretched peasants retire among- 
Moab, leave the cities,,, , i,- i, il ji ^i -r^ ^ 

and dwell in the rock, the rocks which border on the Dead 
and be like the dove. Sea." — Volney^s T?'avels, vol. ii, p 
r s^ditf'theToie^s^^^. ''There are many families Kving 
month, ^er. xlviii. 28. ^ caverns "—'' Inhabitants of the 
rocks." — Seetzen^s TraveVs, p. 26. 
" There are many artificial caves in a 
large range of perpendicular cliffs, in 
some of which are chambers and small 
sleeping apartments." — Captains Irhy 
and Mangles^ TraveVs, p. 413. 
Moab shall be a de- " In the Yalley of Wale," bordering? 
[^SMrat^sfo^rStr-on the Arnon Burckhardt observed "t 
nest, so the daughters of large party of Arabs bhererat encamped. 
Moab shall be at the ford They wander about in misery, the wo- 
of Arnon, Isa. xvi. 2. ^^^ wearing nothing but a loose shirt 
hanging in rags about them."— Travels, 
p. 370, 3n. 

Edom (or Idumea) u rpj^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ jj^ 

shall be a desolation. I , a. -j.!, a a. , -,-, .^ . 

will make thee most des- l^ges are met With. At present all this 
oiate, Jer. xLix., 17. Hzek. country is a desert, 
xxsv., 3. 

I will stretch out my u ^^^ j^^an (Teman, as marked in 

hand npon Edom; and ,, ^ j-d i i, ix, m . * 

will make it desolate tlie map prefixed Burckhardt 's Travels) 

from Teman, j&zeA;. XXV., is the only inhabited place in it." — P. 

1^- 436. 



20 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

If grape-gatherers come "The whole plain presented to the 
to thee, would they not„- „ ^ p i -^ • \ 

leave some gleaning ^^^^ ^^ expanse of shiftmg sands ; 
grapes 1 If thieves by the depth of sand precludes all vegeta- 
night they will destroy tion of heTh2ige.''—Burckhardt'sTrav- 
tiU they have enough. 7 • a • a a^ 

But I have made Efau^^^ m Syria, p. 442. 
BARE, Edom shall be a " On ascending the western plain, 
inT'\ "^0 '^''™®'^' '^^'*- we had before us an immense expanse 
^ ?wiii stretch out upon ^^ drear}^ country, entirely covered with 
Idumea (Edom) the line black flints, with here and there some 
of confusion and the hilly chain rising from the plain." — 
^ones of empur^ss. BuTckliardVs Syria, p. 444. 

Morever, the word of " Jt is from the summit of (the moun- 
the Lord came, saymg, j.'\TmATiixix ^-t 

sonof man, set thy face "^^i^) -»^i J> akb that one can judge of 
againstEdom,and proph- the general aspect of the country, of the 

esy against it, and say niglancholy and dismal state of which 
■unto it, Thus saith the-, • -,.£g i, , ., .,, ,, 

Lord God, behold, o ^^ ^^ climcult to convey an idea with the 
Mount Seir, I am against pencil alone. Many prophets have an- 
thee, and I will stretch nounced the miserv of Idumea, but the 
out mme hand agamst , 1 "i? -n i • i 1 

thee and I will make string language of Ezekiel can alone 

thee most desolate, &c., adequately describe this great desola- 
EzeJc. XXXV.,, 1, 2, 3. tion." — Laborde. 
I will lay thy cities " The following ruined places are sit- 

waste; and thou Shalt be uated in Djebal Shera (Mount Seir), 
desolate, O Mount Seir, 7^ i ■, t\-- ^ th i -n i i i a / 
^^,1-. x^xv., 3, 4. 'Kalaab, Djirba, Eyl, Ferdakh, Anyk, 

Bir-el-Beytar, Shemakh, and Syk." — 

Ibid., p. 443, 444. 

..i.Tww^!^*^.? ?f; " Of the towns laid down in D'An- 
petual desolations, and .,, , ™, . -, . 

thy cities shall not re- Allies map, Thoana excepted, no traces 
turn, Ezek. xxxv., 9. remain. " — Ibid. 

2^,ZltSZT^l , "The ruins of the fy (of Fetra, or 

terribleness hath deceiv- the Kock, the capitol of Edom) burst on 
edthee, and the pride of the view in their full grandeur, shut in 
reiierS'Se":)o"ae. opposite side by barren craggy 
the ROCK, that holdest precipices, from which numerous ravmes 
the height of the hill ; and valleys branch out in all directions ; 
Sft.;nSastgtt'«^e ^ides of the mountains covered with 
the eagle, I will bring an endless variety of excavated tombs 
thee down from thence, and private dwellings, presented alto- 
Etlshlu'ie"'a-des^tf ther the most singular scene we ever 
tion. Jer. xlix., 15, 16, 17. beheld. "-/r&2/ and MangWs Trav. p. 422. 



THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLEL 21 

" The rocks are hollowed out 
into innumerable chambers of different 
dimensions," &c. — MachmicliaeVs Jour- 
ney, p. 228. " Some of them are so 
high, and the side of the mountain is so 
perpendicular, that it seems impossible 
to approach the uppermost," &c. — 
BurckhardVs Travels, p. 422, 
I will make thee per- '' I would that the skeptic could stand- 

petuai desolations and as I did among the ruins of this citv 
thy cities shall not re- , , ^ -, .-, , , " 

turn, and ye shall know among the rocks, and there open the 
that I am the Lorci^ Ezek. sacred book and read the words of the 
^^^•' ^' inspired penman, written when this des- 

olate place was one of the greatest cities 
in the world. I see the scoff arrested, 
his cheek pale, his lip quivering, and 

r. *!, * *!. -^lis heart quaking with fear, as the ru- 

Eveiy one that goeth . i •, ^- ?x i.- • • i j 

by it shall be astonilhed, med City cries out to himm a voice loud 
Jer. xlix., 17. and powerful as that of one risen from 

the dead ; though he would not believe 
Moses and the prophets, he believes the 
handwriting of God himself, in the des- 
olation and eternal ruin around him. " — 
Stephen^s Incidents of Travel in Ara- 
bia Petroea, &c. Vol. ii., p. 58. 

They shall be called '^^^ Arabs in Edom are called '' a 
the border of wicked- most savage and treacherous race." — 
ness, JfaZocAU., 4. j^^^ ^^^ Mangles. ''They have the 

reputation," says Burckhardt, " of be- 
ing very daring thieves. " And Pococke 
describes them as " a very bad people, 
and notorious robbers. " — Yol. i. p. 136. 
They shall call the " There is not a single human being 
nobles thereof to thej-^jj^ ^^^^ iV — Irhy and Mangles' 
kingdom, but none shall rn i ior>rm ii, 

be there; and all her ^^a^^^Zs, p. 439. The sepulchres are nu- 

princes shall be nothing, merous and magnificent ; and "great," 

/sa. xxxiv., 13. gg^^g Burckhardt, " must have been the 

opulence of a city which could dedicate 

such a monument to the memory of its 

rulers."— P. 425. 



22 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

.^Thorns shall come np " Most of the plants at Petra are thor- 
and brambles In the for- ^J' " " ^^^2/ (^^d Mangles' Travels, p. 
tresses thereof, isa. 435. '' The thorns,'' as described by 
xxxiv., 13. Laborde, " rise to the same height with 

the columns ; creeping and prickly 
plants hide the remains of the works of 
man : the thorn or bramble reaches the 
top of the monuments, grows on the cor- 
nices, and conceals the base of the 
columns." 
Shan I not destroy the Even the clearing away of rubbish 
wise men out of Edom, merely " to allow the water to flow " 
Sf ^thrMount'^of'EsaT? i^^^ an ancient cistern, in order to rend- 
Ohad., ver. 8. er it useful to themselves, is spoken of by 

Burckhardt " as an undertaking far be- 
yond the views of the wandering Ar- 
abs." — BurckhardVs Travels, p. 366. 
The cormorant (He- u rphe bird Katta is met with in im- 
brew, Kath) shall pos- . ,, n • i i 

sess it, Isa. xxxiv., 11. mense numbers ; they fly m such large 
flocks, that the Arab boys often kill two 
or three of them at a time, merely by 
throwing a stick among them. '' — Burck- 
hardVs Travels, p. 406. 
The owl shall dwell in " Eagles, hawks, and owls were soar- 
^^* ^^^' ing in considerable numbers above our 

heads, seemingly annoyed at any one 
approaching their lonely habitation. " — 
Irhy and Mangles' Travels, p. 415. 
And the raven (or '' The fields of Tafvle," in the imme- 
crow) shall dwell in it, (ji^te vicinity of Edoni, ''are frequent- 
ed by an immense number of crows." — 
Burckhardt's Travels, p. 405. 
"It shall beahabita- "The Arabs in general avoid them 
tion of dragons, Ibid., (the ruins in Edom) on account of the 
enormous scorpions with which they 
swarm." — Volney'sTrav. vol. ii., p. 344. 
The satyr (or goat) " Large herds of mountain goats are 
shall cry to his fellow, met with," — Burckhardt, p. 405. 
Ibid., 14. 

Nineveh. He will The mounds " show neither bricks, 
make an utter end of the stones nor other materials of building ; 



THE TRUTH OP THE BIBLE 23 

place thereof. I will but are in many places overgrown with 

r'ue^lS^ifs! u^gf^^- " - Buckingham'. Tra.eU in 
Mesopotamia, vol. u., p. 49, &c. 
She is empty, i^oicZ, and " Eastward of the Tigris, at the end 
waste, Ihid. ii., 10. Qf ^YiQ bridge of Mosul, the great Nin- 
eveh had formerly been erected : the 
Thy crowned are as the cj^y, and even the ruins, had long since 
^™h:' gl^grathtZ-disappeared ; the vacant space afforded 
pers which flee away, spacious field for the operation of the 
-and the place is not two armies." — Gihhon's Hist.,YQ\. YiH.. 
known where they were, 250 251 

*' ' " Where are those ramparts of Nin- 

'^^'^n'^i^^^J.lppreveh ?"_ Volney's Rums, c. ii. 

commandment concern- ^ ' . t_ 

ing thee, that no more of The name of JNmeveh seems to be 

thy name be sown, lUd, threatened with the same oblivion that 

i-» ^^* has overtaken its greatness. " — Ibid. c. iv. 

Tyre. Tyre shall be Instead of that Ancient commerce, so 

a place for the spreading gQ ^^^-^^ ^^^ g^ extensive, Sour (Tvre) 

of nets m the midst of . ., , . i 1 -n mu 

the sea, EzeTc. xxvi., 5. is reduced to a miserable village. They 

live obscurely on the produce of their 

little ground and a trifling fishery." — 

Volney^s Travels, vol. ii., p. 212, 225. 

Egypt. I will lay the "Deprived twenty-three centuries 

land waste and all thaUgo of her natural proprietors, she has 

i^^'S^'r^^xSfl^een her fertile field successively a prey 

to the Persians, the Maccedonians, the 

Romans, the Greeks, the Arabs, the 

Georgians, and, at length, the race of 

Tartars distinguished by the name of 

Ottoman Turks "-i6., vol. i., p. U, 102. 

It shall be a base king- '' Egypt above five hundred years has 
dom, the basest of king- ^ggjj ^^^qj. ^he arbitrary dominion of 
doms. Ibid. XXIX., 15. g^^,aj^ggj,g a^(j slaves."— (^•66o7i's Hist 
vol. vi.,-p. 109. 

The Arabs. I will They are " armed against mankind." 
make him (ishmaei) aaj^ single robber or a few associates are 
fSr'again^'%v™ybranded with their genuine name ; but 
man and every man's the exploits of a numerous band (of 
hand shall be against Arabs) assume the character of a law- 
him, Gen. xvi.. 12. f^^j ^^^ honorable war.''— Ibid., vol. ix., 
p. 23t. 



24 INFEDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

CHALDEA Oil BABYLONIA. 

Chaldea. I will pun- "These splendid accounts of the 
diil'^^'^^^i'^'lB^bylonian lands yielding crops of gram 
wiu send unto Babylon two or three hundred fold, compared 
fanners, that shaU fan with the modem face of the country, 
^c! /.r.T^S ^^^^^^^> afford a remarkable proof of the singu- 
'' ' '' • laj. desolation to which it has been sub- 

jected. — Transactions of the Literary 
Society, Bombay, vol. i., p. 123. It is 
an "immeasurable wild, bounded only 
by the desert," "a barren waste," "a 
bare desert," " a barren country," &c. — 
Capt. Mignom^s Travels, p. 31; Major 
KeppeVs Narrative, vol. i., p. 260 ; 
Buckingham'' s Travels in Mesopota- 
mia, vol, ii., p. 242, &c. 
A drought is upon her " The canals at present can only be 
waters, and they shallbe ^^.^^.g^j ^ ^^^^ decayed banks." —Bom- 
dried up, Je?*. 1., 38. Be- t -^ m noo ^^mu 

hold the Wndermost ofhay Lit Trans., p. 138. "They are 
the nations, a wilder- now dry and neglected." — Riches Me- 

desertV«^l^T2^- ^^^43^^^'^'^' P' *' '' "^^^ absence of aU cul- 
' ' *' ' '' tivation, the steril, arid, and wild char- 
acter of the scene, formed a contrast to 
the rich and dehghtful account deUneated 
in scripture." — Mignan-s Travels, -p. 5. 
Her cities are a deso- The ancient cities of Chaldea "no 

lation. Ibid, longer exist." — 3Iajor EennelVs Geog- 

raphy of Herodotus, p. 335. The 
more modern cities, which flourished 
under the empire of the califs, " are all 
in ruins." — Mig nan's Travels, App. 
" The whole country is strewed over 
with the debris of Grecian, Roman, and 
Arabian towns, confounded in the same 
mass of rubbish." — Malte-Brun's Ge- 
ography, vol. ii., p. 119. 
Babylon* shaU be Babylon has become " a vast succes- 

r^itSv.1:;.'l:;u!-sion of mounds,- "a great mass of 

* The prophetic history of the decUne and faU of Babylon, from its 
first capture to its present desolation, is so copious as to occupy ninety 
pages of the Evidence of Prophecy, in Ulustration of as many 
predictions. 



THE TRUTH OP THE BIBLE. 25 

ruined heaps," "uneven heaps of vari- 
ous sizes. The larger ruins have the 
appearance of irregular and misshappen 
hills, the lesser form a succession of lit- 
tle hillocks." — Keppel, Porter, Rich, 
Mignan, Buckingham, &c. 

Cast her up as heaps, *' In seeking for bricks, the workmen 

^' *' ' pierce into the mound in every direction, 

hollowing out deep ravines and pits, 

and throwing up the rubbish in heaps on 

the surface. " — Rich's Memoir, p. 22. 

-^^d^estroy her utter- " From the excavations in every pos- 
^' * * sible shape and direction, the regular 

lines of the original ruins have been so 
broken that nothing but confusion is 
seen to exist." — SirR. K. Porter^ s Trav- 
els, vol. ii., p. 338. 

Let nothing of her be " Vast heaps now constitute all that 
left, Ibid. now remains of ancient Babylon. " — 

KeppeVs Narrative, vol. i., p. 196. 
Some of the heaps are " completely ex- 
hausted of all building materials ; and 
nothing is now left but heaps of earth 
and fragments of brick." — Mignan^s 
Travels, p. 199, 200. Porter's Trav- 
els, 356, 33t, &c. 

I will make it pools of <' The ground is sometimes covered 
water, Js.xiv., 23. ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ hollows." 

" The plain is covered at intervals with 
small pools of water." — Buckingham's 
Travels in Mesopotamia, vol. ii., p. 296. 
Porter, Keppel, &c. 
Sit on the dust, sit on u qr^^ whole face of the country is 

S'frcha?deansfS>overed with vestiges of buildings."- 

xlvii., 1. Rich, p. 2. 

Thynakedness shall be " I am perfectly incapable of convey- 
uncovered,/s. xlvii., S.i^g ^^ adequate idea," says Captain 
Mignan, " of the dreary, lonely naked- 
ness that appeared before me." — F 
116. 



26 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

Sit thou silent, and "A silent and sublime solitude, a 

jfxivSVsf''^"^"''' silence as profound as the grave."— 

Porter^ s Travels^ vol. ii., p. 294, 40 Y. 

Because of the wrath Babylon, "the tenantless and desolate 

?^. ^2-? i^ J^^^} ?°,^. J® metropolis. " — Mignan's Travels, p. 
mhabited, butitshall be ^o ^ ^^ mi. i j i 

wholly desolate, Jer. 234. " The eye wandered over a bar- 

1., 13. ren desert, in which the ruins were 

nearly the only indication that it had 
been inhabited." — Keppel, p. 196. 
It shall never be in- — '' Ruins, composed like those of 

^r'^l\o^fc ^"*' ^^' Babylon, of heaps of rubbish impreg- 
* '' ' ' nated with nitre, cannot be cultivated. " 

Bich's Memoirs, p. 16. "The decom- 
posing materials of a Babylonian struc- 
ture doom the earth on which they per- 
ish to a lasting sterility." — Sir R. K. 
Porter'' s Travels, vol. ii., p. 391. 
Nor dwelt in from gen- j^ ^^^ sixteenth century " there was 

eration to generation, is. , , j. -u ii 1 i-> i, i 

xiii. 20. liot a housa to be seen " at Babylon. — 

Bay''s Collection of Travels, Raivolff, 
p. 114. In the nineteenth it is still 
" desolate and tenantless^ — Mignan, p. 
234. 
Neither shall the Ara- " J saw the sun sink behind the Mu- 

bian pitch tent theve, ^^i^^ioh,'' says Captain Mignan, "and 
^ * • obeyed with infinite regret the summons 

of my guides," Arabs completely armed. 
He " could not persuade them to remain 
longer, from the apprehension of evil 
spirits. It is impossible to eradicate 
this idea from the minds of these peo- 
ple."— TmueZs, p. 2, 198, 201, 235. 
Buckingham, &c. 
Neither shall the shcp- i'j^n the people of the country assert 

Se Itllttl ^"^'^'that it is extremely dangerous to ap- 
' * '' * proach this mound after nightfall on 

account of the multitude of evil spirits 
by which it is haunted." — Bich. p. 2t. 
" By this superstitious belief they are 
prevented from pitching a tent by night, 
or makiug a fold." 



THE TRUTH OP THE BIBLE. 27 

But \^riid beasts of the '' There are dens of wild beasts in 
desert shall lie there. ^^^^^^^ p^^ts. ^'—EiclVs Memoir, p. 30. 
Porter, Keppel, Buckingham, &c. 
And their houses shall These dens or caverns "are the re- 
t'ure^^.^^ ""' ^""^^^"^ ^^^^- treat of jackalls, hyenas, and other nox- 
ious animals." "The 'strong odure ' 
or * loathsome smell ' which issues from 
most of them is suflflcient warning not 
to proceed into the den." — KeppeVs 
Narrative,^. 179, 180. Porter's Trav- 
els, vol. ii. p. 342, &c. 
And owls shall dwell '* In the most of the cavities are num- 
*'^®^®» bers of bats and owls. " " Thousands 

of bats and owls have jSlled many of 
these cavities." — Ricli's Memoir, p. 30. 
Miynan^s Travels, p. 167. 
And satyrs (goats; ''The caves " and "their entrances 
shall dance there, ^^^ strewed with bones of sheep and 

go&ts.''' Mignan, p. 167. Por. v. ii.p. 342. 
And wild beasts of the uy^^ ^^^^ ^^ douU, " says Major Kep- 
islands shall cry m theu' i ,, , -1 i i? xt. • 

desolate houses (or pal-Pel, "as to the savage nature of the m- 
aces), habitants. Wild beasts are numerous 

at the Mujihbie," one of the largest of 
the heaps, supposed to have been the 
palace 
And dragons in their "Venomous reptiles are very numer- 
pleasant jalaces, 2sa. ^^^ throughout the ruinS."-Wia7l's 
'' ' * Travels, p. 168. 

Cut off the sower from * ' On this part of the plain, both where 
Babylon, and him that traces of buildings were left and where 
rSSe\f't/«;°r?'^ i'^d stood, all seemed eqimlly na- 
ii„ 16. ked 01 vegetation." — Porters Travels, 

vol. ii., p. 392. "The eye w^andered 
over a barren desert, in which the ruins 
were nearly the only indication that it 
had ever been inhabited." — KeppeVs 
Narrative, p. 196. 
The sea is come upon " For the space of two months 
wS' ae^ rultiSroftl^^^g'^""' tb; year, the ruins of Baby- 
the waves thereof, Jer. lon are mundatea by the annual over- 
li-, 42. flowmg of the Euphrates, 



28 INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 

Neither doth any son go as to render many parts of them 
of man pass thereby, J«a.jj^^^^ggg.|3lg ^^ convertmg the valleys 

'' * into morasses.".^— i?zc7i's Memoir, p. 13. 

Sir R. K. Porter, Buckingham, &c. 
A desolation, a dry After the subsiding of the waters, 
land, and a wilderness/ even the low heaps become again "sun- 
^^'* •' • _. burned ruins," and the site of Babylon, 

like that of the other cities of Chaldea, 
is " a dry waste," " a parched and burn- 
ing plain." — Buckingham'' s Travels, 
vol. ii., p. 302, 305. Keppel, i. p. 196. 
It shall be wholly des- '' A more complete picture of desola 
elate, Jer. 1., 13. \Xon could not well be imagined." — Kep- 

peVs Narrative, p. 196. Sir R. K. Por- 
- ter's Travels, vol. ii., p. 392. 
Bel (the temple of Be- The loftiest temple ever built is noth- 

"' * Ion, bowed down to little more than the 

third part of its- original height '' The 

whole mound is a ruin." — Rich, p. 3T. 

Bel is confounded, Jer. ''The whole summit and sides of this 

1-j 2' mountainous ruin are furrowed by the 

weather and by human violence into 

deep hollows and channels."— M'^man's 

Trav., p. 210. Porter, Rich, &c. 

I will make thee a " The Birs Nimrood presents the ap- 

bumt mountain, Jer. li. pgarance of a circular hiW.'^ — Rich's 
Memoir, p. 35. ''It is strewed over 
with petrified and vitrified substances . ' ' — 
Mignan''s Travels, p. 1 0. "On the summit 
are immense fragments of brick- work, of 
no determinate figure, tumbled together" 
(confounded), " and converted iuto solid 
vitrified masses." — Rich's 3Iemoirs, p. 
36. " The change exhibited on which 
is only accountable from their having 
been exposed to the fiercest fire, or 
rather scathed by lightning. " — Mignan's 
Travels, p. 208. They are " completely 
molten," and "ring like glass." — Kep- 
pel, p. 194. Sir R. K Pointer's Trav- 
els, vol u.,^^. 308, 326. 



INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 29 

I will stretch out my '' Throughout the whole of these awful 
?^Ve!To™ ftoiretest^o-^ies of the fire (whatever fire it 
rocks, Jer. 11., 25. was !), which doubtless hurled them 

from their original elevation, the regu- 
lar lines of cement are visible." — Sir B. 
K. Forter^s Travels, vol. ii., p. 312. 
They shall not take of '* The vitrified masses " are unfit for 

thee a stone for a cor- ej^l^gj, use ; and the bricks in Other parts 
ner, nor a stone for foun- » , , / , ,, -if 

dations, but thou shait of the rumous heap, cannot be de- 
be desolate for ever, Jer. tached whole." It cannot, therefore, be 
1^-26. rebuilt. — M'grnan's Travels, p. 206. 

Porter, Bich, Buckingham, &c. 
Merodach (the palace) '« The Mujelibie, is a mass of confu- 
is broken in pieces, Jer. ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ .^^ members being distin- 
guishable." — Buckingham's Travels, 
vol. ii., p. 2^3. " On the southeast it 
is cloven into a deep furrow from top 
to bottom." — Mignan, p. 166. 
Thou Shalt be brought u rpj^^ g^^^^g ^f ^^^ ^.^-^ exhibit hol- 

tr^ia. 2v.ri5' l^^s ^«™ P^i't^^^ ^y t^^ weather," &c. 

. " All the sides are worn into fur- 
rows." — Mignan^s- Travels, p. 167. 
Bich''s Memoirs, p. 29. 
Thy pomp is brought '' This very pile was once the seat of 

down to the gi-ave, and luxury and vice ; now abandoned to de- 
the noise of thy viols, ,,'^p n/r- i m ? nwr* 

Isa. xiv., 11. cay," &c. — Mignan^s Travels, p. 112. 

The worm is spread " The base is greatly injured by time 

under thee ; and the ^nd the elements."— i6zd, p. 166. ''The 
worms cover thee, Isa. ... ' -, .,i , ^ n i 

xiy II summit IS covered with heaps of rub- 

'' * hmh.''—Bich's Memoir, p. 29. "The 

mound was full of large holes, strewed 
with the carcasses and skeletons of ani- 
mals recently killed." — KeppeVs Nar- 
rative, p. 119. In the warm climate of 
Chaldea, wherever these are strewed, 
worms cannot be wanting. 
Thou art cast out of " Several deep excavations have been 

thy grave like an abom- made in different places. " — Sir B. K. 

inable branch, Isa. xiv., p^^^g^jg Travels, Yo\. ii., 442. After 
being brought dow^n to the grave, it is 



30 THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE, 

caM out of it again, for " many of the 
excavations have been dug by the ra- 
pacit}' of the Turks, tearing up its bow- 
els in search of hidden treasures.'" — Ibid. 
And as the raiment of Several of the large holes, whereof it 
f'rTst t^WhVSnH^"' "penet«>teTe,7 far into the body 
sword, of the Structure." — Ibid., -p. 342. Kej?- 

peVs Nam-ative, p. 179. Mignan's 
Travels, p. 171, &c. 
That go down to the On the supposed site of the han^ino- 
stones of the pit : „„„j i? t^ i, i ^ ^i. r ° 

^ ' gardens of Babylon, near to the palace, 

there are now disclosed to view '' two 
snbterranean passages, covered over 
with large masses of stone. This is 
neai'ly the only place where stone is ob- 
servable." — KeppeVs Narrative, vol. i., 
p. 205. 
As a carcass trodden '' The Mujelibie rises in a steep as- 
nnder feet, Isa. xiy, 19. ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^j^^ passengers can only 

go up by the winding paths worn by 

frequent visits to the ruined edifice." — 

Buckingham'' 8 Travels, p. 258. From 

the least to the greatest of the heaps, 

they are all trodden on. " The ruins of 

Babylon are trodden under foot of men." 

— Yolnei/s Buins. c. iv. 

Her idols are confoTmd- '^ Engraved marbles, idols of clav," 

ed, her images are broken ,, ^■^ n r? r. i "%> 

inpieces;au the graven small figures of brass and copper,' 

images of her gods he " bronze figures of men and animals are 

hath broken tmto thefo^^j^j among the ruins." — BennelVs 

f:round, Jer. 1., 2. Qeography of Herodotus, p. 368. Bich, 

Porter, Mignan. 

Thebroad walls of Bab- '. ^Vhere are the walls of Babvlon ? " 

Tlon shall be ntierly bro- i t^ i r> • •• << t ^ ^ 

en Jer. U. 58. ^^^ V olney, Buins, c. u. " In common 

with other travellers," says Major Kep- 
pel, "we totally failed in discovering 
any trace of the city walls. " — KeppeVs 
Narrative, vol i., p. IT 5. Bombay 
Literary Transactions, Captain Fred- 
erick on the Buins of Babylon, vol. i., 
p. 130, 131. Bich/s Memoirs, p. 43, 44. 



INFIDEL TESTIMONY CONCERNING 31 

Babylon shall be an ''J cannot portrav," says Captain 

?hrgo«hVJS"Seiiig°'>'^. "Ae overpowering sensation 

astonished, Jer. 1., I3;0f reverential awe that possessed my 

li.j 37, 41. mind while contemplating the extent and 

magnitude of ruin and devastation on 

every side " — MignaiVs Travels, p. IIY. 

Sir R K Port&r, Bich, &c. 

The Lord will do his "It was impo<<sibIe to behold this 

pie^miremBabyi^on, Isa.scene, and not to be reminded of how 

pose of the LoMsLu^be exactly the predictions of Isaiah and 

performed against Baby- Jeremiah have been fulfilled, even in 

bring'^'pon"th?t land^^lS*^^ appearance Babylon was doomed to 

my words which I have present ; that she should never be m- 

pronounced against it, habited ; that the Arabian should not 

even aU that is written pj^ch his tent there ; that she should be- 

m this book, /(?r. xxv., ^ , ^i, ^ L •^- l. u i 

13^ come heaps ; that her cities should be 

a desolation, a dry land, and a wilder- 
ness ! " — KeppeVs Narrative, p. 197. 
Bich, Porter, Mignan, Buckingham &c. 

We here conclude our lengthy extracts from the work of 
Dr. Keith, which is fitly named A " Demonstration of the 
Truth of Christianity." Our arguments are facts ; — facts 
visible to the world ; and a few of them are here laid before 
the reader. The grand question is : '* Does the Bible con- 
tain a Divine Kevelation ? " Is'o mortal man, no heathen 
oracle, and no spiiit from the spheres, ever has foretold, or 
ever can foresee and disclose the events and facts and cir- 
cumstances of future ages. But here, prophecies uttered 
thousands of years ^ago, by men devoid of reputation, wealth, 
and power, whose mouldering dust is hid in long forgotten 
graves, have been upheld and enforced by an Omnipotent 
hand, have been accomplished by men who were ignorant 
of their existence, and have had their fulfillment uncon- 
sciously recorded by infidels who denied their inspiration. 
More than one hundred and seventy distinct and definite 
yrophecies have been quoted or referred to in these pages. 
And side by side with them, in more than seventy instances, 
the infidels, Volney and Gibbon, are brought to testify to 



82 THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. 

their fulfillment; and one hundred and fifty quotations from, 
and references to, the writings of other travellers and 
historians, confirm and complete their representations. 
And as we mark these accurate and circumstantial predic- 
tions and their recorded fulfilments, what must our conclusion 
be ? We put the question to every candid skeptic, to erery 
honest man. Must we not admit that, "The prophecy of Scrip- 
ture came not in old time by the will of man : but holy 
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost ?" 

And close beside these prophecies that have been so won- 
derfully fulfilled, are many more which yet await their sure 
accomplishment. The past have been proved correct, how then 
can I doubt the truth of those yet future ? " We have also 
a more sure word of prophecy ; whereunto ye do well 
THAT YE TAKE HEED, as uuto a light that shincth in a dark 
place, until the day dawn, and the day-star rise." 2 Peter i. 21. 

I know the objections brought against the Bible. I know 
both sides. I never yet have seen an infidel who knew but 
one. I have never seen one who understood the mighty 
evidences upon which intelligent behevers base their faith 
in the Bible as the word of God. I know, too, that few 
Christians are acquainted as they should be with these facts, 
and that many niinds are filled with doubt and uncertainty. 

I too have had my ' skeptical era,' my time of questionings 
and vegue surmises. I have read the writings of infidels, 
and I have also examined the evidences that the Scriptures 
are inspired of God ; and my doubts have vanished, and my 
soul has rest ; rest in the Word of God that liveth and 
abideth for ever, rest in the blood of Christ that cleanseth 
rom all sin. Reader, you too may know the same rest ! 

Reprinted from ''The Christian," a monthly paper issued at the 
Scri ptural Tract Repository. Price. 60 cents per volume. 

\ 



INDEX TO SUBJECTS. 

It will be seen that the following Index refers to 
those pomts which the Infidel claims are both 
affiimed and denied in the Sacked Oracles. 

THEOLOGiaiL DOCTRINES. 

PRO. PAGE, 

1 God's Satisfaction Concerning His Work 7 

2 The Dwelling of God in Temples & 

3 God Dwells in Li^Iit and Darkness {) 

4 God is Visible and Invisible 10 

5 God's Ability or Inability to Work withoivt Resting 14 

6 The Omnipresence of Jelx>vah 15 

7 The Omniscience of God 1(> 

8 The Omnipotence of Jehovah 17 

9 God is Unchangeable and Changeable 18 

10 The Justice of God 20 

11 God the Author of E'\-il 21 

12 God Gives or Withholds His Blessing from Suppliants ... 22 

13 Can God be Found by Those who Seek Him 2o 

14 God is Warlike and Peaceful 24 

15 God is Cruel and Kind, Merciful and Unmerciful 24: 

16 The Fierceness and Duration of Jehovah's Anger 2(> 

17 Docs God approve of Burnt Offerings 21) 

18 God Accepts and Forbids Human Sacrifice 2;) 

19 Does God Tempt Man oi> 

20 The Veracity of Jehovah 31 

21 The Destruction of Man for Wickedness ... 32 

22 Are God's Attributes Revealed or Hidden oo 

23 How Many Gods are There 34 



MORAL PRECEPTS. 

2f Robbery Commanded and Forbidden ... «. 37 

25 Lying Approved and Condemned ... .,» .... .... ..* .... 38 

26 Hatred Sanotioaeti and Forbidden .... ... ... 39" 



158 THE BIBLE TRItTMPHAXT. 

rr.o. PARK. 

11 Killing Commanded and Forbidden - 40 

28 Must the Blood- Shedder Die 40 

"20 The Making of Images Commanded and Forbidden 41 

4-'0 Slavery Ordained and Forbidden 41 

31 Improvidence Enjoined and Condemned 44 

":? Anger Approved and Condemned 45 

S' Are Your Good "Works to be Seen of Men 48 

oi The Judgment of Others Approved and Condemned 46 

"5 Did Christ Teach Phvsical Resistance ... 47 

i}". Did Christ Fear Death 48 

37 Public Prayer Sanctioned and Condemned 49 

38 Importunitv in Praver Sanctioned and Condemned 50 

39 Shall Men Wear Long Hair 51 

40 Circumcision Instituted and Condemned 51 

41 The Sabbath Instituted and Repudiated 52 

42 Why Was the Sabbath Instituted 53 

43 Shall Work be done on the Sabbath 53 

44 Was Baptism Commanded 54 

4.T Are Animals Allowed for Food 55 

4R Does the Bible Sanction the Taking of Oaths 55 

47 Marriage Approved and Condemned 56 

48 Divorce Restricted or Unlimited 57 

49 Adultery Allowed and Forbidden 57 

-^0 Marriage vrith a Sister Approved and Condemned 58 

51 Can a Man Marry his Brother's Widow 59 

52 Are we Commanded to Hate our Kindred fiO 

53 Are Intoxicating Beverages Recommended 60 

54 Is it our Duty to Always Obey Rulers 61 

55 Woman's Rights Aflirmed and Denied 62 

56 To Whom is Obedience Due 63 

57 Is there an Unpardonable Sin C4 

HISTORICAL FACTS. 

53 When was Man Created 65 

59 Shall Seed-time and Harvest Cease 66 

60 The Hardening of Pharaoh's Heart 67 

61 The Death of Egyptian Cattle 67 

62 Did Moses Fear Pharaoh 68 

63 The Number who Died of the Plague 69 

k 64 Was John the Baptist Elias 70 

('b Who was the Father of Mary's Husband 70 

65 Who was the Father of Selah 71 

67 How many Generations from Abraham to David 71 

68 How manv Generations from the Babylonish Captivity to 

Christ 72 

69 'Was the Infant Christ taken into Egypt ,.. 73 

70 Was Christ Tempted in the Wilderness 74 

71 Where did Christ Preach His First Sermon 75 

72 John was in Prison when Jesus went into Galilee 77 



THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 159 

Pro. Page. 

73 The Commission respecting Staves and Sandals 77 

74 The Woman of Canaan who Besought Jesus 78 

75 How many Blind Men Besought Jesus 79 

76 Was Christ Crucified at the Third or Sixth Hour 80 

77 The Thieves Revile Christ 80 

78 Satan Entering into Judas 81 

79 The Suicide of Judas 81 

80 The Purchase of the Potters's Field 82 

81 Bid One or Two Women Come to the Sepulchre 83 

82 How many Women Came to the Sepulchre 83 

83 The Time of their Arrival at the Tomb 84 

84 The Position of the Angels at the Sepulchre 85 

85 The Number of the Angels at the Sepulchre 86 

86 The Time that Christ was in the Grave 87 

87 The Time when the Holy Ghost was Bestowed 88 

88 Where were the Disciples to be immediately after the Resur- 

rection 89 

89 The First Appearance of Jesus to the Eleven 89 

SO Christ Ascended from Mount Olivet and from Bethany ... 90 

Dl Did Paul's Attendants Hear the Miraculous Voice 91 

92 Abraham's Departure for the Promised Land 92 

93 The Two Sons of Abraham 93 

D4: What Relation did Keturah bear to Abraham 94 

95 Abraham became the Father of Children in his Old Age ... 95 

96 Abraham and Jacob Bought Burial Places of Hamar 96 

97 Abraham's Reception of the Promised Land 97 

98 The Giants Slain by Elhanan 99 

99 When did Ahaziah begin to Reign : ... 100 

100 The Children of Michal, the Daughter of Saul 100 

101 Who Tempted David to Number Israel 101 

102 The Number of Fighting Men of Israel and Judah 102 

103 David's Sin in Numbering the People 103 

104 The Number of Years of Famine, the Penalty of David's Sin 104 

105 The Number of Horsemen Captured by David 105 

106 The Price of the Threshing Floor David Bought 106 

107 The Duration of David's Throne 107 



SPECLTiATIVE DOCTRINES. 



Ill 

112 
113 
114 
115 



108 Is Christ Equal with God 

109 Was Jesus All-powerful 

110 The Law and the Christian Dispensation 

111 Was the Mission of Christ Peace or War 

112 The Reception of Testimony from Man ... 

113 The Truth of Christ's Witness Concerning Himself 116 

114 Christ Died for His Friends, and also for His Enemies 116 

1 15 Was it Lawful for the Jews to put Christ to Death 117 

116 The Punishment of Children for the Sins of their Parents... 118 

117 Justification by Faith and Works 119 

118 Is it Possible to Fall from Grace 121 



160 THE BIBLE TRIUMPHANT. 

PRO. PAGE. 

119 Is any Man without Sin 122^' 

120 The Resurrection cf the Dead 124 

121 The Place of Reward and Punishment 126- 

122 The Destiny of the Wicked 127 

123 The Duration of the Earth 130 

124 Shall Evil happen to the Godly 132 

125 Is Prosperity or Destitution the Lot of the Godly 132 

126 Is Wordly Prosperity a Blessing or a Curse 133 

127 The Christian Yoke 135 

^.28 The Pruits of God's Sirit 136 

129 The Longevity of the Wicked 136 

130 Is Poverty or Riches a Blessing 137 

131 Is Wisdom a Source of Enjoyment or Sorrow 13S 

132 Is a Good Name a Blessing or a Curse 139 

133 Laughter Conmiended or Condemned 140 

134 The Rod of Correction a Remedy for Foolishness 140- 

135 Answering a Pool According to his Polly 141 

136 The Desirableness of Temptation 142 

137 The Certainty of Prophecy 143 

138 Man's Longevity 144 

139 Is the Lion Afraid of Man 14i 

140 Miracles a Proof of Divine Mission 145 

141 Miracles Not a Proof of Divine Mission 145 

142 The Meekness of Moses 147 

143 The Ascension of Christ into the Heavenlies 148 

144 The Inspiration of the Scriptures 148' 



Deaddified using the Bookkeepef process 
Neutralizing agent Magnesium Oxkte 
Treatment Date: May 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

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